Heir of Vader
by Zinoviev
Summary: When Anakin Skywalker dies on Mustafar by Obi-Wan's blade, Darth Sidious is furious. Without an apprentice, Sidious is forced to enact his contingency plan: stealing Skywalker's newborn child and training him or her instead. Nineteen years later, Padmé's life is irrevocably altered once again after her ship is boarded by a mysterious Sith Lord who claims to be the heir of Vader.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"No, my father didn't fight in the wars," Luke said as he tightened a bolt on C-3P0's arm. "He was a navigator on a spice freighter."

"That's what your uncle told you," Obi-Wan said.

"You fought in the Clone Wars?" Luke asked.

"Yes," Obi-Wan said a bit sheepishly. "I was once a Jedi Knight the same as your father."

"I wish I'd known him," Luke said morosely.

"He was the best star pilot in the galaxy," Obi-Wan said proudly. "And a cunning warrior. I understand you've become quite a good pilot yourself." Luke shrugged modestly and turned back to Threepio. "And he was a good friend," Obi-Wan added softly, his smile fading as he leaned back in his seat.

"Which reminds me," Obi-Wan said suddenly. "I have something here for you." Standing up, Obi-Wan crossed the room towards a brown crate. "Your father would have wanted you to have this when you were old enough."

Luke looked up curiously to watch Obi-Wan open the crate and search for something. "Sir, if you won't be needing me, I'll close down for a while," Threepio said.

"Sure, go ahead," Luke said, glancing at the protocol droid briefly before looking back at Obi-Wan. He was reverently carrying some sort of cylindrical tube. "What is it?" Luke asked as he stood up.

"Your father's lightsaber," Obi-Wan said, enunciating the word with emphasis. "This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight." Luke took the mysterious object from Obi-Wan and turned it over in his hands curiously. "Not as clumsy or random as a blaster."

Despite having never held it before, strangely enough Luke felt intensely familiar with the weapon. Pressing the button, the lightsaber activated with a whoosh, revealing a vibrant blue blade. The blade hummed comfortingly as Luke gyrated his wrist.

"An elegant weapon for a more civilized age," Obi-Wan said with a hint of nostalgia as he sat back down. "For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times. Before the Empire."

Luke sheathed the weapon and turned to Obi-Wan. "How did my father die?" he asked as he sat down next to Threepio.

Obi-Wan hesitated before answering, looking supremely uncomfortable with the question. "A young Jedi named Darth Vader – who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil – helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights. He betrayed and murdered your father." Luke looked down, feeling a crushing sense of sorrow for the father he had never known.

"Now the Jedi are all but extinct," Obi-Wan continued. "Vader was seduced by the dark side of the Force."

"The Force?" Luke asked.

Obi-Wan smiled wryly. "The Force is what gives a Jedi his or her power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together."

Luke nodded slowly, not understanding what Obi-Wan was talking about. "What happened to him?" he asked. "To Vader?" Obi-Wan looked uncomfortable again and looked over to R2. "I'm sorry, you don't have to answer that," Luke said quickly.

"No, it's quite alright," Obi-Wan said, looking back at Luke with a strained expression. "I confronted him on the Mustafar system after he killed your father."

"What happened?" Luke asked.

"I killed him," Obi-Wan said bluntly. "I had no choice. He had turned into a monster, completely consumed by the dark side."

Luke fell silent as he digested all of this information. Unsure what to do with himself, Luke returned his attention to Threepio. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Obi-Wan had a distant look about him as he stroked his beard absently. Blinking a few times, Obi-Wan stood up once again.

"Now let's see if we can't figure out what you are, my little friend," he said as he walked over towards R2. "And where you come from."

"I saw part of the message–"

"I seem to have found it."

Turning away from Threepio, Luke saw the recording of the woman whom he had seen earlier. With a side glance towards Obi-Wan, he could see that the old hermit had stiffened and his eyes were wide with shock. "It can't be," he whispered.

"_Hello, Obi-Wan," _the recording said. _"Bail and I have been searching for you for the past nineteen years. Bail recently informed me that he obtained sources which told him that you are on Tatooine. I was on my way to meet you when my ship was stopped by the Empire. I have placed information vital to the survival of the Rebellion into the memory systems of my R2 unit. Bail will know how to retrieve it. You must see this droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan. If my son in with you, I ask you to bring him with you. Bail will provide for him even if I am unable to. This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Obi-Wan. You are my only hope." _

The recording flickered out and Luke turned to look at Obi-Wan. His face was ashen, his eyes still fixated on the spot where the woman had just been. "Ben?" Luke asked tentatively. "Who was that woman?"

Obi-Wan leaned back and stroked his beard pensively, seemingly oblivious to Luke's question. "Obi-Wan?" he asked again. Obi-Wan finally looked up at Luke, although his eyes had a distant look to them as if he was still deep in thought. "Do you know her?"

"I did," he said in a faint voice. "A long, long time ago."

"Do you know what she was talking about?" Luke asked. "About her son? Do you know him too?"

"Oh yes, I know him as well," Obi-Wan said vaguely.

When Obi-Wan didn't elaborate, Luke began to grow frustrated with the old man. "Who is he?"

Obi-Wan was silent for a moment, his brow furrowed as he looked back at Luke with a curious expression. "He's you," he said finally.

"What are you talking about?" he said with a frown. Obi-Wan stood up and walked away from Luke, rubbing the back of his head wearily. Luke's eyes widened as it dawned upon him what Obi-Wan had just told him. "Wait, you don't mean to say that–"

"She is your mother, yes," Obi-Wan said, his back still facing him. "After all these years, I had no idea…"

Blinking rapidly, Luke somehow knew in spite of his incredulity that Obi-Wan was telling him the truth. "What's her name?" Luke asked, his mouth feeling dry and his palms sweaty.

Obi-Wan turned around to look at him. "Padmé," he said. "Her name was… her name _is _Padmé."

"Padmé," Luke repeated, sounding out his mother's name for the first time. Luke frowned when a sudden realization hit him. "Why didn't you ever tell me about her?" he asked angrily.

"I thought she died nineteen years ago when you were born," Obi-Wan explained. "Besides, your uncle didn't want me interacting with you any more than necessary."

"Oh," Luke said, looking down. "I would have appreciated it if you would have at least told me her name."

Obi-Wan winced as he walked back towards the chair to sit down again. "I am sorry, Luke. But the past is a painful subject for me."

Luke was thoroughly unsatisfied with this explanation. Nonetheless, he felt his anger fade in the face of his burning curiosity. "Can you tell me about her? How come I've never been able to meet her? Is she a part of the Rebellion?"

Obi-Wan smiled wryly at Luke's enthusiasm. "I will answer all of your questions and more in good time," he said. "For now, however, we need to find a way to get to Alderaan."

Luke cringed as reality returned to him. "I can't go to Alderaan," he said as he stood up and walked away from Threepio. "I have work to do!"

"Your mother needs you, Luke," Obi-Wan said. "Do you not want to help her?"

"Of course I do, but –"

"But what?"

Luke shook his head and looked down at his feet. "Uncle Owen wouldn't allow it. He needs me to stay for the harvest. I can't –"

"Don't allow your uncle to dictate your life, Luke," Obi-Wan interrupted sternly. "He cannot force you to stay on Tatooine anymore."

Luke looked up and opened his mouth to respond, but closed it again. Feeling an uncharacteristic surge of confidence, Luke nodded vigorously. "You know what? You're right," he said, pacing in front of Obi-Wan excitedly. "I don't have to listen to him! We have to rescue my mother! She's in serious danger…" Luke trailed off and stopped pacing abruptly suddenly realizing the enormity of the situation. "How are we going to rescue her, Ben? It sounds like the Empire was going to arrest her. We won't be able to save her!"

Obi-Wan pursed his lips and looked pensively at R2 for a moment before responding. "We will do what we can. Surely, the Empire wouldn't execute her. After all, your mother is a very famous woman."

"She is?" Luke asked in wonderment. "Why?"

"Again, I will tell you everything in time. For now, we need to get to Mos Eisley."

"Mos Eisley?" Luke repeated dumbly. "But that's so far from here."

Obi-Wan gave Luke an incredulous look. "Where else do you propose we find a ship that can take us to Alderaan?" he asked with a hint of irritation.

"You're right, sorry," Luke said quickly, realizing how juvenile he was sounding. "But I need to go home first to tell my aunt and uncle."

"Of course," Obi-Wan said as he stood up. "Let's get going."

* * *

"_Obi-Wan? Is Anakin alright?" _

"_Anakin isn't here." _

"_Where is he? Where is Anakin?" _

"_He's gone, Padmé." _

_"Luke. My son, Luke." _

"_They're here! The Emperor is with them!" _

"_Go, you must!" _

"_Obi-Wan, my son…" _

"_I will take him. He will be safe." _

"_Take him to Naboo." _

"_I can't. The Emperor will look there." _

"_Step aside, Organa. Don't be a fool." _

"_No! Don't hurt her, I beg you!" _

"_Step aside!" _

"_Senator Amidala. What a pleasant surprise." _

"_Get away from me!" _

"_The patient is carrying twins." _

"_Twins?" _

"_Twins!" _

"_No, you can't take her! Not my daughter! No!" _

"_Where is the spare?" _

"_Leia! No! Leia!" _

Padmé woke from her nightmare with a start. Standing in front of her in the Imperial cell was the man who had captured her on her ship. He wasn't very tall, but he had an intimidating presence nonetheless. He wore a dark, bulky suit with a long flowing grey cape. He wore a mask as well which covered his entire head. Padmé refused to allow herself to be frightened by him, however, so she sat upright and clasped her hands in front of her in a dignified and regal manner.

"Who are you?" she asked the man.

"I am Darth Vitrius," the man said proudly in a deep voice which was certainly altered by his mask. "I am the heir of Vader."

Padmé raised her eyebrow. "Is that supposed to mean something? Who is Vader?"

"Silence!" Vitrius snapped suddenly, raising his hand. Padmé felt her lips be forced together painfully, rendering her unable to speak. "Vader was my father. I know you knew him. He tells me you're a liar."

Padmé tried to deny this, but she was still unable to open her mouth. Vitrius approached her in two strides. "You will not lie to me like you did my father," he said ominously. "You will tell me what I need to know."

Padmé shook her head defiantly, earning herself a slap across the face. "I don't want to have to torture you, Senator Amidala," he said. "Although I doubt that will be necessary."

"I won't tell you anything," Padmé finally was able to say.

Vitrius didn't respond, however. Instead he kneeled in front of her and raised his hand, covering her entire face with it. "Where is the Rebel Base?" he asked.

Padmé desperately tried to keep her mind blank, knowing that the Jedi used to be able to read minds like this. Vitrius no doubt possessed similar powers. Padmé could feel Vitrius sifting through her mind, uncovering her deepest and most secretive thoughts. She couldn't let him find the Rebel Base...

Vitrius pulled away abruptly and stood up. "Kenobi," he said stiffly. "You know Kenobi?"

Padmé's eyes widened in fear. "No! I've never heard of –"

"Spare me the theatrics," Vitrius said tersely. "I know you have heard of him."

"Why do you care about Obi-Wan?" Padmé asked boldly.

"He killed my father!" Vitrius bellowed, causing Padmé to shy away in fear. "I have vowed to avenge him. Tell me where he is! Tell me!"

Padmé shook her head vigorously and pressed her back against the wall, trying to get as far away from Vitrius as possible. "I don't know! I swear, I have no idea! I haven't seen him in decades."

Vitrius stared at her motionless for a moment before suddenly turning to leave. "Where are you going?" Padmé asked brazenly. "Don't you want to know where the base is?"

"You have already told me," Vitrius said as he entered a code which opened the door to her cell. "You have been very helpful to me, Senator."

Vitrius stepped out of the cell and closed the door behind him, leaving a terrified Padmé in his wake. It was all over. She had failed.

* * *

The wild events of the past few days crashed down on Luke as he sat down on the bench by the holographic table in the main hold of the Millennium Falcon. After having learned about his mother and finding out that she was in terrible danger, Luke had gone running home to inform his aunt and uncle that he was leaving to go rescue her. When he returned, however, he had found his childhood home engulfed in smoke and the desiccated remains of his guardians sprawled out at the front door.

Fearing that the Stormtroopers could still be nearby, Luke and Obi-Wan had rushed off towards Anchorhead and then on to Mos Eisley. There they had found Han Solo and his co-pilot Chewbacca who offered them a ride to Alderaan for a ridiculous price. Nonetheless, they had been forced to accept the offer and after a close encounter with some Stormtroopers at the launching pad, they were finally on their way to Alderaan.

Across the room, Luke could feel Obi-Wan's eyes on him. "Are you alright, Luke?" he heard him ask.

Luke didn't look up at him and instead took a deep, stabilizing breath. "Did they abandon me?" he asked suddenly. "My parents?"

Obi-Wan didn't answer right away, evidently caught off guard by the question. "What makes you ask that?" he asked finally.

"You said my mother was famous," Luke said, finally looking up to meet Obi-Wan's concerned eyes. "And my father was a Jedi. Maybe they thought I was a…"

"A what?"

"A mistake," Luke said, his throat constricting painfully.

Obi-Wan sighed and walked over towards him. "I can assure you that is not the case, Luke," he said compassionately.

"How do you know?" Luke asked. "Why else would they have abandoned me on Tatooine?"

Obi-Wan hesitated before placing his hand on Luke's shoulder. "I knew your parents very well. I knew your father better than anyone. Or at least I thought I did…" Luke looked up and raised his eyebrow when Obi-Wan trailed off. "They didn't abandon you, Luke," he said, meeting Luke's eyes.

"Then why have I never been able to meet my mother?" Luke asked.

Obi-Wan took his hand off Luke's shoulder and sat down next to him on the bench. He winced slightly as he sat down. "I was there when you were born," he said wearily. "I had just defeated Vader and I had only just learned that Anakin was your father." He paused for a moment to stroke his chin before continuing. "Immediately after you were born, the Emperor arrived."

"The Emperor?" Luke repeated incredulously. "Why would he have been there?"

"He came to take you," Obi-Wan said. "He knew who your father was and he knew you would be powerful in the Force."

"That's horrible!" Luke said, aghast.

"Your mother handed you to me and asked me to run," Obi-Wan said, his face contorted in pain as he recounted the terrible story. "She wanted me to take you to her home world, Naboo, but I couldn't go there. The Emperor would have known to look there. Instead, I took you to Tatooine where your father had been born and lived the first nine years of his life."

Stunned, Luke was unable to say anything. "I thought that the Emperor killed your mother. If I had known… Luke, I feel so terrible for what I did to your family."

"It's not your fault, Ben," Luke said, perplexed by this confession. Obi-Wan gave him a strained smile and looked away. "Would you tell me about her?" Luke asked, desperate to learn more about his mother.

Obi-Wan nodded and looked back at him. "I first met your mother when she was fourteen years old," he said, smiling faintly as he recollected. "At the time, she was the Queen of Naboo."

"She was a queen?" Luke repeated, completely stunned by this information.

"Queen Amidala was her regnal name," Obi-Wan said.

"And she was just fourteen?"

"The Naboo traditionally elect young boys and girls to the office, as odd as that seems. Nonetheless, your mother was a remarkable leader. She led her people against an invading army from the Trade Federation with remarkable poise for a teenager."

"Wow," Luke said, leaning back in his seat. "That's amazing."

"What are we talking about back here?" Luke looked up to see Han and Chewbacca walk into the main hold. Han swaggered over to a chair by the technical station and gave them a lazy grin.

"That's none of your business," Luke said irritably. He wasn't sure he liked Han much. There was an unpleasant characteristic about him which Luke couldn't quite identify. It was as if he didn't seem to care about anything but himself.

"Whatever," Han said, rolling his eyes at Luke's defensiveness. "I've just jumped the ship into hyperspace, we should be at Alderaan in a few hours."

Neither Luke nor Obi-Wan said anything to this. "Don't everyone thank me at once," Han said sarcastically.

"Let us begin with your training, Luke," Obi-Wan said suddenly.

"Training?" Han asked. "What kind of training?"

"Again, none of your business," Luke said through gritted teeth. "Are you always this nosy with your passengers?"

"I am when I'm harboring fugitives," Han said, standing up from his chair. "Look, I don't care if you two are into shady stuff. I'm just looking out for my own skin."

"Then leave us alone, would you?" Luke said.

"This is my ship, kid," Han said, looming over Luke intimidatingly. "I go where I please."

"Luke is training to become a Jedi Knight," Obi-Wan intervened.

"A Jedi what?" Han asked.

"Come here, Luke," Obi-Wan said, ignoring Han. Luke obliged, standing up and crossing the room to where Obi-Wan had gestured.

"Now draw your lightsaber," he ordered. Han gave Chewbacca a side glance and sat back down, watching them with a mixture of curiosity and disconcertion. He flinched when Luke activated the lightsaber.

"Woah!" he exclaimed. "What the hell is that?" From behind him, Luke heard Chewbacca growl something.

"A what now?" Han asked his copilot.

"It's a lightsaber," Luke said, turning around briefly to look at Han who was watching the blade suspiciously. "It's the weapon of a Jedi Knight."

"You've seen one of these things before?" Han asked Chewbacca who nodded. "Looks dangerous," Han muttered. "Try not to take your eye out, kid."

Irritated by Han's condescending tone, Luke turned back to face Obi-Wan who was fiddling with a remote droid. "What's that for?" Luke asked, watching the floating remote nervously.

"This is to test your reflexes," Obi-Wan said, stepping away from the remote. "We used to use these to train younglings."

"Oh," Luke said, feeling somewhat deflated that Obi-Wan considered him equivalent to a youngling. "What do I do?"

"The remote will fire bolts at you," Obi-Wan said. "Don't worry, they're completely harmless," he added when Luke startled visibly. "For now, I just want you to deflect them with your lightsaber. Alright?"

Luke nodded and held up the lightsaber in front of him. "Ready?" Obi-Wan asked. Luke nodded once again and gripped the hilt of the lightsaber firmly. For a few moments nothing happened, and Luke was about to ask Obi-Wan what was wrong when a bolt flew at him and hit his right thigh.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, lowering his lightsaber and rubbing his leg with his right hand. While he was preoccupied, the remote fired again, this time hitting his left shoulder.

"Focus, Luke!" he heard Obi-Wan say sternly. From behind him he could hear Han and Chewbacca laughing at him. Ignoring the stinging pain in his leg and shoulder, Luke steadied himself and focused on the remote. This time when it fired at him, he managed to deflect it.

"Very good," Obi-Wan said. Once again, the remote fired and once again Luke deflected it away.

"Remember, a Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him," Obi-Wan said.

"You mean it controls your actions?" Luke asked, keeping his eyes on the remote.

"Partially," Obi-Wan said. "But it also obeys your commands."

Luke managed to deflect another bolt, but with each successive bolt, the remote increased its rate of fire. Soon, Luke was unable to keep up and was hit directly in the abdomen, causing Han to snigger once again.

"Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster, kid," Han said derisively.

"You don't believe in the Force, do you?" Luke asked.

"Kid, I've flown from one side of this galaxy to the other. I've seen a lot of strange stuff, but I've never seen anything to make me believe that there is one all powerful force controlling everything. No mystical energy field controls my destiny. It's all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense."

"I suggest you try it again, Luke," Obi-Wan said with a smile. Turning around, he picked up a bulky helmet off of the wall. "This time, let go of your conscious self and act on instinct."

As Obi-Wan placed the helmet on his head, Luke's field of view was completely covered by the visor. "With the blast shield down I can't even see!" he exclaimed. "How am I supposed to fight?"

"Your eyes can deceive you, don't trust them," Obi-Wan said. Shaking his head, Luke nonetheless raised his lightsaber again and ignited the weapon. Feeling foolish with the heavy helmet, Luke tried to listen to the movements of the remote. Suddenly, Luke felt a bolt hit him in the hand.

"Stretch out with your feelings," he heard Obi-Wan say. Biting back a retort, Luke gave it another shot. Taking a deep breath, he raised his lightsaber once again. He turned quickly, sensing the remote somehow. Rapidly, he moved his weapon down and blocked a bolt.

"See? You can do it," Obi-Wan said when Luke took off his helmet excitedly.

"I call it luck," Han said dismissively.

"In my experience there's no such thing as luck," Obi-Wan shot back.

"Look, good against remotes is one thing. Good against the living, it's something else." Han turned when he heard a beep from the technical station. "Looks like we're coming up on Alderaan," he said as he stood up and left the main hold.

"You know, I did feel something," Luke said as he walked over to Obi-Wan. "I could almost see the remote!"

"That's good," Obi-Wan said as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "You've taken your first step into a larger world."

* * *

After having left Amidala's cell, Vitrius decided to return to her personal quarters before informing Tarkin about the location of the Rebel Base. Tarkin was one of the few people who knew who she really was, and this bothered her to no end. On top of that, he was a disgusting, slimy individual. She would inform him later. For now, she needed to rest.

Imperial officers and personnel shied away from her as she marched with purpose down the sleek hallways of the Death Star. She had acquired an impressive reputation in a very short amount of time. Sidious had only entrusted her to go on missions by herself last year when she turned of age. She had resented her master for holding her back all these years, but finally she had been given an opportunity to impress. Finally, she would show Sidious that she wasn't a little girl anymore!

She would destroy the Rebels with ease. The Empire had been fighting this war for nearly nineteen years to no avail. Now that she was finally involved, the war was coming to its conclusion. She knew where the Rebel Base was! She would earn all the glory for this triumph, not Tarkin.

She should have been elated, but something else was gnawing at her, dulling her enthusiasm at having finally found the Rebel Base. Vader was angry. Very angry. She had been shocked at how vitriolic he had been when she had come face to face with Senator Amidala. What was so special about her? Why did Vader despise her so much?

"_**She's a liar!" **_he had screamed in her ear. _**"Traitorous bitch!" **_

She had no reason to doubt her father. After all, he was her sole companion. He had been by her side for as long as she could remember, providing her with a friend during the long, dark years of brutal training under Sidious. Nevertheless, she didn't understand why Vader was so disgusted by Amidala. A part of her felt strangely drawn to the senator. Something about her was so appealing to Vitrius. There was something… familiar about her.

Reaching her private quarters, Vitrius entered the code and stepped inside. Closing the door behind her, she crossed the room towards her dresser. Placing both hands on the sides of her mask, she took the pressurized device off her head with a hiss. Sighing, she placed the mask on the dresser and wiped her forehead. She despised that mask. It was horribly constricting. Her master insisted she wore it, however. He insisted that it was crucial that nobody know that she was a woman. He claimed that officers wouldn't respect her fully if they knew. She disagreed with this assessment, but she knew better than to disobey her master.

Vitrius looked back at her reflection in the mirror with a frown. Her skin was extremely pale on account to having to wear the mask all the time. Her wispy brown hair was cut short so that she could wear the mask easier. She pinched at her cheek angrily. Her face was soft and round, thoroughly unbecoming of a Sith Lord such as herself. She despised her appearance. She wished to strike fear upon her subordinates like her master was able to do. Instead she had to cover up her baby face with a mask.

"_You look fine, Leia," _said the softer voice inside her head. _"You are a beautiful young woman."_

"Shut up!" Vitrius exclaimed loudly. "And that isn't my name!"

She hated that voice. She'd much rather talk with Vader instead of him. Yet for some reason, she couldn't quell that voice. No matter how hard she tried, it would occasionally pop up from time to time. The voice would tell her horrible, traitorous things. It would try to get her to renounce her master or to abandon the dark side. The most frustrating thing it did, however, was call her Leia. She didn't know why it insisted on calling her that. For her whole life, she had been Darth Vitrius, not Leia. Why had the voice given her this false name?

Turning away from the mirror, Vitrius sat down on the edge of the bed and began removing her armor. "Why do you hate Amidala, Father?" she asked aloud as she took her breastplate off.

"_I don't hate Padmé," _the softer voice said.

"You're not my father!" Vitrius said angrily. "I want to talk to Vader."

"_**Amidala betrayed me," **_Vader said in a stronger and deeper tone than the other voice. _**"She and Kenobi sought to kill me." **_

"So she does know Kenobi!" Vitrius said excitedly. "I looked through her mind, Father! Aren't you proud of me?"

"_**I am very proud of you, Vitrius," **_Vader said, causing Vitrius to beam with delight. _**"Your powers are growing quickly, my child." **_

"Master doesn't trust me, though," she said with a pout. "He doesn't think I'm old enough."

"_**You will prove him wrong when you destroy the Rebels," **_Vader assured her. _**"You will prove yourself worthy." **_

"Thank you, Father," Vitrius said, beginning to blush with the praise.

"_He's lying to you, Leia," _the softer voice said suddenly. _"Padmé did not seek to kill us." _

"You're the liar!" Vitrius said. "I don't want to talk to you anymore."

"_Search your feelings, Leia. Padmé is not your enemy." _

Vitrius hesitated briefly as she remembered her initial impression of Amidala. "Go away," she said definitively. "You're annoying me."

"_**He is a fool," **_Vader said to her. _**"He can't see Amidala for who she really is. You will not be so blind, Vitrius. You are far wiser than him." **_

"You're right!" Vitrius said as she stood up to remove the greaves covering her lower legs. "I don't have to listen to him!"

"_**Tomorrow we destroy the Rebels!" **_Vader said excitedly. _**"Your master will reward you, my dear." **_

"And then, I will destroy Kenobi!" Vitrius said loudly. "I will avenge you, Father!"

"_Obi-Wan is not your enemy either, Leia."_

"Silence!" Vitrius yelled. "Begone from my mind!"

"_Search your feelings. I beg you to see reason." _Adopting a new tactic, Vitrius merely ignored the voice and continued taking off her armor. _"Leia, please listen to me." _

Shaking her head, Vitrius took off her boots and fell into her bed. Sighing deeply, she shut the irritating voice out of her mind and drifted off to sleep with a smile. Finally, her dreams were coming true! Tomorrow, she would attain glory!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Vitrius woke up a few hours later after a deep sleep. Getting out of bed, she took a quick shower before beginning the arduous task of getting back into her armor. Fifteen minutes later, she finally put on her mask and stepped outside. As she marched down the halls towards the command room, she could feel her heart pumping with anticipation and adrenaline. Tarkin was going to feel like a fool for ever doubting her!

Reaching the command room, she pushed the doors open without knocking and strode in confidently. Tarkin was seated on the left end of a large, circular table. An assortment of other admirals, generals, and other high ranking Imperial officers were also seated around the imposing black table. Vitrius, of course, had not been offered a seat at this table.

"I don't think it is wise to strike a planet of such a high profile," one of the generals at the far end of the table was saying. "The repercussions could be…" Noticing that no one was paying any attention to him, the general looked up and saw Vitrius standing in the doorway.

"Lord Vitrius," Tarkin said with a frown. "We are in the middle of a meeting."

Vitrius snarled at Tarkin under her mask. He had always been horribly condescending towards her. He considered her to be a little girl rather than a genuine Sith Lord worthy of respect. "I can see that, Governor Tarkin," she said icily, her voice modified by the mask. "I am sure, however, that what I have to say is of greater importance than whatever you are discussing right now."

Tarkin narrowed his eyes at her as he spun in his chair to face her directly. "Is that so?" he asked, a vein protruding unpleasantly on his left temple.

"I have discovered the location of the Rebel Base from our prisoner, Senator Amidala," she said, puffing out her chest proudly. "It's on one of the moons of the Yavin system."

Her announcement was met with a stunned silence. "Are you sure?" one of the bolder admirals asked.

Vitrius stepped forward into the room and stared back at the brave man defiantly. Raising her hand, the admiral's face suddenly turned white as he grasped at his throat. "Do you doubt me, Admiral?" she asked ominously.

Unable to speak, the admiral began to turn purple as his colleagues watched him with wide eyes. "Stop this at once!" Tarkin demanded. "You have no right to act this way to your superiors, Vitrius."

Furious, Vitrius released the admiral and turned to Tarkin. "I am the Emperor's apprentice," she said angrily. "You are not my superior, Tarkin!"

Ignoring the retching sounds of the admiral, Tarkin stood up. "Leave at once, Lord Vitrius," he demanded, pointing towards the door.

Vitrius' mouth fell open, outraged by this level of impudence. She desperately wanted to strangle Tarkin right now. What she would do to be able to crush his larynx and throw his limp corpse across the room. Oh, how delightful that would be! But she couldn't. Her master would not approve of such violence against his most loyal ally. She would have to put up with Tarkin for now.

"Fine," she said bitterly. "But this isn't over, Tarkin. Your time is coming to an end, old man."

"We'll see about that," Tarkin said with a smirk as she spun around to leave.

An hour later, Vitrius was stewing in her room. Still fully dressed in her armor sans the oppressive helmet, she paced back in forth in the small space in a fruitless attempt to blow off steam. "I hate Tarkin so much!" she said out loud through gritted teeth. "He doesn't respect me like he should."

"_**He doesn't appreciate the Force like you do," **_Vader told her. _**"He is a fool for thinking that he is powerful because he controls the Death Star. The power of this battle station is insignificant compared to the power of the Force!" **_

Vitrius nodded vigorously, relieved that she had Vader to support her. "I want to kill him so badly," she said angrily.

"_**Then kill him," **_Vader said. _**"What is stopping you?" **_

Vitrius stopped pacing and frowned. "My master doesn't want me to harm him," she said. "He is a very important man."

"_**He is nothing compared to you," **_Vader told her. _**"You shouldn't be forced to endure such injustices from that man." **_

Vitrius pursed her lips and looked at her reflection in the mirror. "I don't know," she said nervously. "Master would be very angry at me…"

"_**But I would be proud of you," **_Vader said.

"I want to make you proud, Father," Vitrius said sincerely.

"_**Then take action! Don't allow this man to boss you around." **_

She was about to respond when her comlink buzzed from across the room. Fastening her mask back on, she strode towards it and activated the device. "Yes?" she asked in her now deep voice. "What is it?"

"My Lord, Governor Tarkin has asked you to bring Senator Amidala to him," a staticky voice told her. "He wants you to escort her to the main viewing room."

Vitrius stiffened at this request. Surely Tarkin could have someone of lower status escort Amidala out of her cell. No doubt, this was some sort of power move. Yet she couldn't refuse, otherwise that would arouse suspicion. She certainly didn't want that to happen.

"I will do so at once," she said, biting her tongue painfully to keep the bitterness out of her voice. Pocketing the comlink, Vitrius turned around and made her way out of the room. On the walk towards the detention block Vitrius did her best to calm down, taking deep, stabilizing breaths as she marched down the shiny halls. She wouldn't let Tarkin get to her that easily. She had to be able to show some semblance of self-restraint and control.

Reaching Amidala's cell, Vitrius entered the code and stepped inside. She hesitated briefly when she saw that Amidala was sleeping, her head rested on top of her hands. She truly was a beautiful woman, Vitrius thought as she contemplated the older woman's face.

"_She is not your enemy," _the soft voice said again. _"Do not let harm come to her." _

With a growl, Vitrius ignored the voice and stepped forward to place her hand on Amidala's shoulder. Shaking her roughly, Amidala woke up abruptly. "Get up," Vitrius said gruffly. "Governor Tarkin wishes to speak with you."

Amidala gave her a nasty look but didn't say a word as she got to her feet. "Your hands," Vitrius ordered, producing a binder from her pocket. Amidala held out her hands without objection, allowing Vitrius to bind her wrists. Pleased with Amidala's obedience, Vitrius smiled under her mask. "This way, Senator," she said, gesturing out the open door.

"Are you going to kill me?" Amidala asked when they had left the cell and began walking down the hall.

"I don't make such decisions," Vitrius said with a shrug, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice. Detecting her resentment, Amidala looked at her curiously.

"Why not?" she asked innocently. "You seem like a powerful man. I know you're Force sensitive. How come they don't trust you?"

Vitrius stopped walking abruptly, causing Amidala to stumble slightly in surprise. "You know about the Force?" she asked her.

"Of course," Amidala said with a faint smile. "My husband was a Jedi."

"That's impossible," Vitrius said as she began to walk once more. "The Jedi were forbidden to marry. It was against their antiquated code."

"We were married in secrecy," Amidala said, falling into step with Vitrius.

"Is that so?" Vitrius asked curiously, her interest in Amidala growing exponentially. "What was his name?"

Amidala hesitated. "I don't know why I told you all that," she said. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"You do realize I can read your mind, right?" Vitrius said as they turned a corner. "You might as well tell me."

"Oh," Amidala said. "Well it looks like I'm going to die soon anyway. There's no point in hiding it from you." Vitrius nodded, although she wasn't quite sure why she was so eager to learn about Amidala's husband. Perhaps she simply enjoyed talking with the woman even though she knew she shouldn't. Vader had made it explicitly clear that she was not to be trusted.

"His name was Anakin," Amidala said eventually, stirring Vitrius from her thoughts. "Anakin Skywalker. Have you heard of him?"

"I have not," Vitrius said truthfully. She hadn't expected to have heard of Amidala's husband. The only Jedi she knew anything about was Kenobi. Her master didn't want her knowing much about the Jedi, except that they were the scourge of the galaxy who had been the mortal enemies of the Sith for over a millennium.

"Listen, I know this doesn't end well for me, so I figure I have nothing left to lose," Amidala said suddenly. "I have a daughter who was stolen from me at birth by the Empire. Could you… could you help me find her?"

Vitrius looked at Amidala curiously. "Why do you think I would help you?" she asked.

"I don't know," Amidala said as they came to a stop outside of the viewing room. She turned to Vitrius with an odd expression. "I just feel like… like I can trust you."

"You're crazy," Vitrius said, thrown off by how genuine Amidala was.

"Maybe I am," she admitted. "Will you help me?"

Vitrius narrowed her eyes behind her mask. She couldn't pretend as if she wasn't interested. If Amidala had been truthful and her husband had actually been a Jedi, that would mean that her daughter could very well be Force sensitive as well. It would be prudent to find out more information about this missing child.

"What is her name?" Vitrius asked finally. "I can search the Imperial databases."

"Would you really?" Amidala said, reaching out and grabbing her by the arm. Vitrius recoiled instinctively. "I'm sorry," Amidala said quickly. "I didn't mean to–"

"The name," Vitrius said tersely, recovering from her shock quickly. "What is it?"

"Leia," Amidala said. "Leia Skywalker."

Vitrius stiffened abruptly. Leia. That was the name the voice called her. Could it be…? Could she be Amidala's daughter? No, that was impossible! Amidala's husband was named Skywalker, not Vader. That meant she couldn't be her mother. Besides, Leia wasn't even her real name. That was just what the voice insisted on calling her for some reason…

"Lord Vitrius? Did you hear me?" Amidala asked, looking concerned.

"It's time to see Tarkin," Vitrius said stiffly. Ignoring Amidala's quizzical expression, Vitrius grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into the viewing room. Standing in front of the massive window was Tarkin, looking slimier than ever in his grey Imperial uniform. As they approached, Tarkin turned and smiled creepily at Amidala.

"Senator Amidala," he said coolly. "How delightful to see you after all these years."

"Tarkin," Amidala said bitterly as they came to a stop in front of him. "I wish I could say the same."

"You still look beautiful, truly," Tarkin said, extending a finger and brushing her cheek with his knuckle. "Yet you never married. Such a shame."

Amidala recoiled from Tarkin's finger with disgust. "What do you want, Tarkin?" she asked. "I've already told you where the Rebel Base is."

Tarkin smirked at her before turning around towards the window. "Naboo is a lovely planet," he said in an apparent non-sequitur. Amidala and Vitrius both turned to look out the window as well. In the distance was a small green and blue planet, the stars twinkling cheerfully in the background.

"You wouldn't dare –"

"Oh, yes I would," Tarkin said, holding up a finger as he turned back to Amidala. "If you don't give me what I want."

"I've already given you everything," Amidala said. "What more could you want from me?"

Tarkin took a step forward so that he was uncomfortably close to Amidala. "So much more, my dear," he said with a hungry look in his eyes.

Amidala took a step back, looking utterly revolted. "You cannot be serious!" she exclaimed indignantly. "You sick son of a bitch!"

"I will take care of you, Padmé," Tarkin said, unfazed by Amidala's visceral reaction to his lewd proposition. "I am a very powerful man, as you know. We could be mutually beneficial to one another."

"Absolutely not!" Padmé said loudly.

Tarkin shrugged and looked back out the window. "Such a beautiful planet," he said again. "It would be such a shame to lose it."

"_You can't let him do this, Leia," _the voice said inside her head. Vitrius nodded her head in agreement, not registering that it wasn't Vader who was talking to her. _"Padmé needs your help." _

"It is a simply choice," Tarkin said, still gazing out the window. "Marry me or see your home destroyed."

"Well isn't that romantic," Amidala said sarcastically. Vitrius couldn't help but laugh at this comment. Tarkin turned on her sharply.

"Is something funny, Lord Vitrius?" he asked sternly.

"_**Kill him!" **_

"_Stop that bastard!" _

"_**Make him suffer!" **_

"Not at all, Governor Tarkin," Vitrius said smoothly. "I find nothing amusing about this situation. In fact, I am appalled by your behavior."

Tarkin's eyes widened in shock. "You will not speak to me in this way!" he said angrily. "When the Emperor finds out –"

"The Emperor won't find out," Vitrius said, taking a step forward in front of Amidala. "Do you know why?"

Tarkin swallowed hard and looked back at Vitrius with wide eyes. "You can't touch me, Vitrius," he said in a shaky voice. "The Emperor needs me."

"He needs this station," she said in a low voice. "Not you."

"You wouldn't –"

Vitrius's hand flew to Tarkin's throat, catching the old man by surprise. Lifting him off the ground, Vitrius grinned widely as she stared into Tarkin's petrified face. "You disgust me, Tarkin," she told him. "I should have done this a long time ago."

"No… please…" Tarkin managed to say, his face turning blue.

Strengthening her grip on his neck, she heard several snapping sounds and Tarkin's head lolled forward. Throwing him away, Tarkin's corpse landed with a thud on his back. Vitrius stood over the body for a few moments, relishing in the moment. All around her, she sensed everyone freeze and stare at her.

"This is my battle station now," she declared to the stunned officers in the room. "I suggest you don't attempt to cross me." Turning around, she saw Amidala trembling in fear before her. "Come with me, Senator," she said, grabbing her by the arm once again. "It's time to return to your cell."

* * *

Obi-Wan and Luke were sitting on a couch in the waiting room outside of Viceroy Organa's office on Alderaan. R2-D2 was waiting obediently by Luke's side, his silver dome swiveling back and forth cheerfully. Luke tapped his foot nervously against the white marble floor. He had never seen such an opulent room before in his entire life. He had been blown away by Alderaan's beauty the moment he had stepped off the Millennium Falcon, and now he was rendered speechless by the Royal Palace. He had never known that such levels of beauty or riches existed in the galaxy.

"Don't be nervous, Luke," Obi-Wan said, sensing the younger man's anxiety. "Let me do all the talking."

"I'm not nervous, it's just so… overwhelming," Luke replied. Obi-Wan smiled and looked up when the door to the Viceroy's office opened. Luke stopped tapping his foot abruptly and looked up as well.

"I don't believe it."

Standing in the door was a burly man with light brown skin and a handsome goatee. Luke caught his breath when he saw the right side of the man's face was mangled with scars, clashing starkly with his otherwise debonair demeanor. Luke followed Obi-Wan's example and stood up off the couch.

"Senator Organa?" Obi-Wan asked cautiously.

"Oh, that's right," the Viceroy said. "You haven't seen me since it happened." He smiled thinly, gesturing to his mutilated face. "I no doubt look much different than how you remember me. Although you must forgive me, you look different as well."

"The Tatooine suns are merciless," Obi-Wan said with a faint smile.

Organa nodded and smiled as well. "Is this the droid in question?" he asked, gesturing to R2.

"It is," Obi-Wan said simply.

"Wonderful," Organa said. "Please, come in."

Obi-Wan, Luke, and R2 followed the Viceroy into his office which was even more ornately decorated than the waiting room. Once inside, Obi-Wan and Luke both sat down on chairs in front of Organa's desk. Organa walked around the desk and sat down as well. "So," he said, staring at Luke intently. "You must be Padmé's son."

Luke swallowed hard and glanced at Obi-Wan. "I am," he said in a faint voice.

The Viceroy frowned subtly and titled his head. "You look a lot like your father," he commented.

"Is that a bad thing?" Luke asked defensively, disconcerted by Organa's judgmental tone.

"As long as the similarities cease at the surface," Organa said, his eyes narrowed.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Luke asked indignantly.

"Senator, perhaps we should get to business," Obi-Wan said quickly, causing Organa to look away from Luke.

"Of course," he said. "Time is of the essence." Organa stood up and walked over towards R2. "I will have the information pulled off this droid and transmit them to the Rebel Base on Yavin 4," he said.

"What's on R2?" Luke asked impulsively.

Organa looked up at him briefly. "The plans for the Empire's new battle station called the Death Star. It has the capacity to destroy worlds."

Luke's eyes widened in shock. "That's impossible," he said. "No battle station could have that much fire power."

"Oh, it's possible," Organa said. "The Empire has already used the Death Star to destroy parts of the planets of Jedha and Scarif."

"Jedah has been destroyed?" Obi-Wan asked incredulously.

"Part of it," Organa said again. "Although the official explanation was that the explosion was caused by a mining disaster." Organa laughed humorlessly and shook his head. "What mining disaster could annihilate a third of a planet and eject debris into space? It's as absurd as it is barbaric. The Empire must be stopped at all costs."

"And how do you intend to stop them?" Obi-Wan asked.

"The Death Star's designer Galen Erso supposedly built a flaw into the design," Organa explained. "With these plans, we might be able to exploit that flaw and destroy the station."

"But you can't destroy it!" Luke exclaimed suddenly. "My mother is on that station!"

Organa winced and looked away. "We don't have any alternatives, I'm afraid," he said, unable to make eye contact with Luke.

"But –"

"Padmé wouldn't have wanted us to halt the operation for her sake," Organa said firmly. "Destroying the Death Star is too important."

"But, but… I never even got to meet her," Luke stammered.

Organa gave him a sad look and lowered his head. "I am sorry," he said. "But it must be done."

* * *

After having given the order to send the Death Star to the Yavin system, Vitrius retired to her private quarters.

"I did it, Father!" she said excitedly after she took off her mask. "I killed Tarkin!"

"_**Well done, my child," **_Vader said warmly. _**"I am very proud of you." **_

"I couldn't have done it without you," she said as she began taking off her armor for the second time that day. "I would have been too afraid."

"_**You have nothing to fear for you are my daughter," **_Vader told her. _**"You are the most powerful person on this battle station." **_

"But my master might be angry at me," she said. "He told me not to hurt Tarkin."

"_**Your master will reward you for eliminating that despicable roach," **_Vader said in a rumbling voice. _**"Tarkin was going to destroy his home world, after all." **_

"_Don't let Sidious control you, Leia," _the softer voice said. _"You did the right thing by protecting Padmé." _

Feeling uncomfortable with receiving approval from the other voice, Vitrius didn't say anything for a moment. "Why do you call me Leia?" she asked suddenly.

"_Because it is your true name," _the voice said.

"No it isn't," she said. "My name is Darth Vitrius."

"_That is what your master calls you," _the voice said. _"But that is not who you are. You are more than your master's apprentice." _

"My master provides for me," Vitrius said defensively as she finished taking off her armor. "I don't wish to be anything more than his humble servant."

"_That's not true, is it?" _

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"_You are destined for greatness, Leia, not servitude." _

Frowning, Vitrius sat down on her bed and put her hands on her knees. She was about to open her mouth to say something when she froze abruptly. She sensed something at her door. Quietly, she slipped off the bed and crouched to the ground. Calling her lightsaber to her hand from the dresser, she hid behind the bed and listened carefully. Someone was definitely at her door, and given that they hadn't knocked yet, it was safe to say they were not friendly.

Suddenly, the door exploded off its hinges and went flying across the room. Had Vitrius not been crouching, the door would have decapitated her. Three Stormtroopers rushed into the room and opened fire at random. They stopped after a few seconds when they saw that the room was apparently empty. "Where is he?" one of the Stormtroopers asked.

With lightning quickness, Vitrius lit her red lightsaber and leapt up from behind the bed. She sliced down at the closest Stormtrooper and cut its head off. Spinning, she cut straight through another one and deflected a bolt from the final Stormtrooper into his leg. Collapsing, the Stormtrooper's helmet came off and Vitrius pounced on him.

"Who sent you?" she asked, holding her lightsaber to his throat.

"Admiral Motti," the Stormtrooper confessed at once. "We were supposed to kill Darth Vitrius, not you! I swear, we didn't mean to…"

"I _am _Darth Vitrius," she said with a snarl.

The Stormtrooper's eyes widened in shock just as she stabbed down on his heart, killing him. Standing up, she frowned as she considered the carnage in front of her. Evidently, Admiral Motti had tried to assassinate her in order to seize control of the Death Star for himself.

"_You have to escape, Leia," _the soft voice told her urgently. _"Motti has control over the Stormtroopers, he will send more when he finds out you're still alive." _

"Stormtroopers can't kill me," she said.

"_There are thousands of soldiers on this battle station," _the voice said. _"You can't fight them all off." _

Deactivating her lightsaber, Vitrius considered this point. "But they don't know what I look like," she said aloud.

"_They'll figure it out pretty quickly when you draw your lightsaber," _the voice said. _"You have to escape." _

"Escape? I can't run away! Not now!"

"_You don't have a choice, Leia! You need to flee!" _

"I'm not a coward! I want to fight!" Vitrius said.

"_**He's right, you need to get off this battle station," **_Vader said.

"But Father, I'm so close to destroying the Rebels!" Vitrius complained. "If I run away, I won't get any of the credit!"

"_**Your master will understand," **_Vader said. _**"He will punish Motti for what he did. This way, you can frame Motti for Tarkin's death as well." **_

Vitrius raised her eyebrows as she thought about this. "I can tell him Motti killed Tarkin!" she said excitedly. "Then I won't be punished!"

"_**Exactly," **_Vader said. _**"Your master will consider you a hero." **_

"But how am I going to escape?" she asked.

"_**As long as you don't draw your weapon, nobody will recognize you," **_Vader said. _**"All you have to do is commandeer a ship." **_

"Right," Vitrius said, nodding. "That shouldn't be too hard."

"_You need to take Padmé with you," _the softer voice said.

"What?" Vitrius said incredulously. "I can't do that! I'd blow my cover if I tried to break her out. Besides, I have no reason to try and rescue her."

"_She needs you, Leia," _the voice said.

"I don't have to listen to you," Vitrius said irritably.

"_You don't understand –"_

"Shut up," she said. "I don't want to talk to you anymore."

"_You need her, Leia!" _

"I need her? What are you talking about?" Vitrius asked.

"_If you want to get credit for defeating the Rebels, you will need Padmé in order to find them." _

"But I already know where the Rebels are! The Death Star is going to be in range in an hour!"

"_Then Motti will get all of the credit. You can't let him be the one to defeat the Rebels. If that happens, Sidious will reward Motti and be less likely to believe you." _

Vitrius hesitated as she thought about this. "But why do I need Amidala?"

"_She will lead you to the new Rebel Base. All you have to do is prevent this station from destroying the current base on Yavin 4." _

"_**Don't listen to him, Vitrius! He's trying to save the Rebellion!" **_

"_I want you to achieve greatness, Leia! If you listen to Vader, Motti will have gained all the glory for your hard work." _

"He doesn't deserve it!" Vitrius said. "I discovered where the Rebel Base was, not him!"

"_Then stop him! If you deactivate the superlaser, he won't be able to destroy the base." _

"But I don't know how to do that," Vitrius said.

"_All you have to do is damage the kyber crystals. That will put the superlaser out of commission for long enough." _

"But if I get caught –"

"_Do you want Motti to win?" _

"Of course not!"

"_Then you have to do this, Leia. I believe in you." _

Vitrius opened her mouth then closed it again. Why was she listening to this voice? He wanted her to cripple the Emperor's greatest weapon! But then again, it wasn't as if she was going to destroy the Death Star, only put it out of commission for a little while so she could foil Motti's plans. The Rebels would survive to see another day, of course, but their days were limited. Once she returned to her master, all would be set right!

"Alright," she said determinedly. "Let's do this."

* * *

"But we can't just let her die!"

"I'm sorry, Luke, but we don't have much of a choice," Obi-Wan said dejectedly.

Luke stopped pacing and turned on Obi-Wan who was sitting by the hologram table in the main hold of the Millennium Falcon. "You said we were going to rescue her!" he said angrily. "We can't give up now!"

Obi-Wan sighed and looked down at his hands on the table. "How do you propose we do that, Luke?"

"I don't know, but we can't do nothing!" Luke cried. All of a sudden, the ship lurched forward, causing Luke to stumble. Catching himself on the wall, Luke looked up at Obi-Wan. "What was that?" he asked.

"I don't know," Obi-Wan said concernedly. Standing up, he crossed the room to make his way towards the cockpit. Following him, Luke found a chaotic scene in the cockpit. Chewbacca was growling something and gesticulating wildly with his enormous, furry arms.

"I know, I know!" Han said loudly as he fumbled with the control panel. "I don't know what's happening!"

"What's going on?" Luke asked.

"I just dropped out of hyperspace when the ship got grabbed by something," Han said.

"What do you mean it got grabbed?" Luke asked nervously.

"I don't know, kid," Han said, clearly irritated by Luke's incessant questioning.

"What's that?" Luke asked, pointing out the window.

Han looked up to see a grey orb growing larger and larger in the window. "Looks like a moon," he said unconfidently.

"That's no moon," Obi-Wan said ominously. "It's a space station."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"There's no one here," Luke heard the muffled voice of a Stormtrooper say from above the floorboards. Sighing in relief, the four of them waited for the footsteps to recede before surfacing.

"Boy it's lucky you had these compartments," Luke said after Han pushed the floorboard aside.

"I use them for smuggling," Han said, blaster in hand. "I never thought I'd be smuggling myself in them." To his left, Luke saw Obi-Wan emerge from underneath the floor as well. "This is ridiculous," Han told him. "Even if I could take off, I'd never get past the tractor beam."

"Leave that to me," Obi-Wan said as he pushed himself up.

"Damn fool, I knew that you were going to say that," Han muttered.

"Who was more foolish? The fool or the fool who follows him?" Obi-Wan asked sagely.

Shaking his head, Han beckoned Luke over towards him by the entrance. "Stand here," he whispered, gesturing to the side of the door. "We'll have to overpower whoever comes up next."

Luke nodded and gave Han the thumbs up. Han scurried over to the other side of the door and waited. A few seconds later, they heard two sets of footsteps shuffling up the ramp towards the entrance. "Wait for it," Han mouthed to Luke. Two imperials in grey uniforms emerged in the entrance. They were carrying some sort of a large box. "Now!" Han hissed.

Using the hilt of his father's lightsaber, Luke whacked the Imperial in the head. Han did the same with the butt of his blaster. The officers fell to the ground, dropping the heavy box with a crash. Grabbing the Imperial by the armpits, Luke dragged his victim down the hallway out of site of the open door.

"Hey down there!" Han called out. "Give us a hand with this!"

"What are you doing?" Luke hissed, but Han shook his head and didn't answer. Two Stormtroopers began climbing the ramp. Han waved his hand to tell Luke to get out of the way. When the distinctive helmets appeared in the doorway, Han opened fire and shot both of them down.

"Help me get their uniforms off," Han whispered urgently.

"You killed them!" Luke exclaimed in shock.

"No, I just stunned them," Han said as he took the helmet off the first one. "If I had blasted them, there would be a big hole in the armor."

"Why couldn't we have just worn their uniforms?" Luke asked, gesturing to the unconscious officers in the grey uniforms.

"I'd rather not show my face," Han said as he tore off the stunned Stormtrooper's breastplate. "Besides, I've always wanted to try out this armor," he added with a grin.

* * *

Having taken a blaster and a radio from one of the dead Stormtroopers, Vitrius made her way towards the northeastern part of the station. Crouching behind a post, she looked both ways down the hallway. The entrance to the kyber generator room was guarded by two sentries in black uniforms. She could easily dispose of them with her lightsaber, but she knew she would be identified if she tried that. Instead she attached a silencer to her personal blaster and took aim.

The guards fell to the ground silently as Vitrius slowed their descent with the Force. With another glance down the hall to confirm that she was alone, she jumped up from behind the post and ran to the door. Entering her code, she found that it no longer worked. Motti no doubt had had her clearance revoked. Growling angrily, she put her blaster up to the control panel and fired. The door opened and Vitrius ran in before anyone could see her.

The generator room was dark and it took Vitrius a few moments to adjust. The superlaser was powered by massive kyber crystals which produced a faint green glow. Vitrius paused to marvel at the majesty of the crystals for a moment. They were supremely beautiful…

Shaking herself out of her trance, Vitrius looked around to see if anyone was watching. Surprised that no one was guarding the interior of the room, Vitrius shrugged and drew her lightsaber. She hesitated briefly, regretting that she was about to commit this terrible offense to these sacrosanct crystals. Just as she raised her weapon, however, the radio she had stolen from the dead Stormtrooper crackled to life. Frustrated, she reached down to silence it but stopped when she heard a voice.

"_There has been a breach in Detention Block AA-23. I repeat, there has been a breach in Detention Block AA-23. Calling all units on level 5. Over." _

That was where Amidala was being held! Had somebody come to rescue her? If so, how was she going to be able to get Amidala herself? She needed her to find the Rebel Base after the Rebels inevitably fled the one on Yavin 4. She couldn't go and investigate what was happening, though, because the area would be crawling with Stormtroopers. On the other hand, she couldn't leave the Death Star without Amidala. She was about to commit an act of treason! If she didn't have Amidala, she would be saving the Rebellion by deactivating the superlaser. Her master would have her executed if he found out it was her who had done it. She would have to take the risk and go to the detention block.

Turning off the radio, Vitrius raised her lightsaber over her head once more and sliced down on the kyber crystals. With a horrible crunching sound, the blade went straight through the crystals. Unsure if this would be sufficient, she repeated the motion half a dozen times at different spots along the massive crystal, causing shards of luminescent green crystal to crash to the ground. Determining that this was a sufficient amount of damage, Vitrius deactivated her lightsaber and turned to leave.

* * *

"Luke, we're going to have company!"

Luke turned around and nodded at Han before continuing on down the hallway with renewed resolve. His heart pounded ferociously in his chest as he approached. 2181… 2183… 2185…

Finally he reached cell 2187. Pressing the little green button, the door opened vertically. Stepping inside, he saw the sleeping form of his mother in the flesh for the first time in his life. Too overwhelmed to say anything, Luke stood their motionlessly as she woke up.

"Aren't you a little short for a Stormtrooper?" she asked as she propped herself with her elbow.

"Huh?" Luke said dumbly. "Oh, the uniform!" Tearing off the Stormtrooper helmet, Luke threw it to the ground and took a step into the cell. "I'm your son, Luke Skywalker. I'm here to rescue you!"

Padmé's eyes widened in shock as she sat upright on the bench. "Luke?" she said, standing up slowly and blinking rapidly as if she couldn't believe what her eyes were telling her. "Is that really you?"

"I'm here to rescue you! I've got your R2 unit. I'm here with Ben Kenobi!"

"Ben Kenobi?" Padmé asked. "Do you mean Obi-Wan?"

"Yes! We've got to go now!" Luke said urgently.

Nodding, Padmé ran after Luke out of the cell where they saw Han and Chewbacca running towards them.

"I can't believe you talked me into this crap, Luke!" Han yelled. "We're totally surrounded!" Han had predictably been reluctant about helping Luke in what he called a 'totally insane suicide mission.' Luke's assurances that his mother was very famous and no doubt very rich had swayed the avaricious smuggler, however.

A blaster bolt that whizzed by a few inches from his head confirmed Han's statement as Luke pressed his body against the wall to avoid the incoming fire. Padmé grabbed his left arm painfully and hid behind him. Luke pulled out his comlink and activated it. "C-3P0! C-3P0!" he yelled into the device.

"Yes, sir?" came the protocol droid's voice over the comlink.

"Are there any other ways out of the cell bay? We've been cut off!" A loud explosion to his left drowned out C-3P0's response. "What was that? I didn't copy!" he yelled, his ears still ringing from the explosion.

"I said all systems have been alerted to your presence, sir," C-3P0 said. "The main entrance seems to be the only way in or out. All other information on your level is restricted."

"There isn't any other way out!" Luke exclaimed as he turned off the device. Grabbing his blaster with two hands, Luke followed Han's example and shot a few rounds down the hallway.

"Luke, you're not firing that right."

Surprised, Luke turned around towards Padmé. "Huh?" he said dumbly.

"Give that to me!" she said, taking the blaster from his hands. Luke watched in awe as his mother held the blaster expertly and opened fire on the Stormtroopers down the hall.

"I can't hold them off forever!" Han yelled from the opposite wall. "Now what?"

All of a sudden, the blaster fire ceased. Confused, Luke looked down the hall but couldn't make out anything through the smoke. He was about to ask Han what had happened when he heard a scream and the blaster fire resumed. No bolts came down there way, however. Instead, the Stormtroopers seemed to be firing in the other direction.

"What's happening?" Padmé asked.

"I don't know," Han answered. "Follow me!" Han took off down the hallway with his blaster in hand. Luke glanced at his mother before following the smuggler towards the commotion. When they reached the end of the hall, the blaster fire had ceased and all of the Stormtroopers lay dead on the ground. In the middle of the carnage was a small young woman with short brown hair wielding a lightsaber. Luke recognized the weapon instantly as it was almost identically designed as his father's except the blade was red instead of blue.

"Who the hell are you?" Han asked the mysterious woman.

"Is the Senator with you?" she asked, ignoring Han's question. Bewildered, Han looked behind him at Luke and Padmé. "Ah, there you are," the woman said when she saw Padmé. "Come with me."

"Who are you?" Padmé asked.

"Vitrius," she replied stiffly.

"You're a girl?" Padmé asked incredulously.

"I'm a woman," Vitrius corrected curtly. "We have to go now. Did you come in a ship?" she asked Han.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," he replied, clearly confused by this turn of events.

"Then let's go. We don't have much time."

"I'm sorry, what is going on?" Luke asked. "Who even are you? And why do you have a lightsaber?"

"Why do you have one?" she asked, gesturing to his belt where his father's lightsaber was clipped.

"This is my father's," Luke explained defensively. "He was a Jedi."

Vitrius raised her eyebrows and glanced at Padmé. "He's yours?" she asked her.

"I… I think so?" Padmé said unconfidently. "We only just met."

"Well that's nice," Vitrius said. "But we have to go now."

"Are you a Jedi too?" Luke asked.

Vitrius rolled her eyes and turned around to leave. "I am a Sith," she said as Luke followed her out the main entrance.

"A Sith? What's that?"

"Do you ever stop asking questions?" she said exasperatedly.

"He's annoying, isn't he?" Han said with a snort.

Luke gave Han a dirty look before turning back to Vitrius who was marching down the hall determinedly. Jogging to catch up, he nearly ran into her when she stopped abruptly at the end of the hall. "What are you –"

"Shut up!" she hissed. "Stay behind me." She glanced down at Luke's belt. "Actually, give me that."

"What? No, that's mine!"

"Give it to me!" she said urgently. Intimidated, Luke complied and took the lightsaber off his belt. Grabbing it, she ignited it and looked around the corner. "Blue?" she said. "I've never seen this color before."

Luke was about to ask her another question when she leapt out from behind the wall. Slicing down with both lightsabers, she mowed through a phalanx of Stormtroopers with ease. They got off a few shots, but Vitrius deflected them and made quick work of the rest. "Come on," she said after deactivating the lightsabers.

"That was incredible!" Luke said as he followed her. "How did you learn to do that?"

"I've trained for my whole life," she said through gritted teeth. "How come you didn't receive training? The son of a Jedi must be powerful."

"Powerful?" Luke asked as they turned another corner. "What do you mean?"

"Apparently not," she said snidely. "My Father was very powerful," she added importantly. "I inherited his powers."

"Who is your father?" Luke asked, inexplicably fascinated by everything this mysterious woman had to say.

"Darth Vader," she said proudly.

Luke stopped walking abruptly, causing Han to run into him. "Watch it, kid!" Han said irritably, but Luke didn't pay him any attention.

"Darth Vader is your father?" Luke asked incredulously. Vitrius stopped walking and turned around to face him.

"You've heard of my father but not of the Sith?" she said.

"I know he killed my father," Luke said.

Vitrius shrugged. "That would make sense," she said apathetically. "He helped destroy the Jedi Order."

"Luke, we need to keep moving," Padmé said urgently as she grabbed his arm. "We can talk about this later!" Trembling with rage, Luke shook her off and took a step towards Vitrius.

"Vader was a monster," he said in an angry whisper. When Luke took another step forward, Vitrius thrust his father's deactivated lightsaber into his abdomen. Luke froze and looked down.

"Take that back," Vitrius said ominously.

"We have to keep moving!" Padmé pleaded from behind them. "Vitrius, please!"

"He killed my father!" Luke said, ignoring Padmé.

"The Jedi deserved it," Vitrius said, thrusting the hilt harder into Luke's abdomen. "And so do you if you don't back down."

"Kid, drop it!" Han said, grabbing Luke's shoulder and pulling him away from Vitrius. "We've got to go." Clenching his jaw, Luke nodded and looked away from Vitrius. Still trembling with anger, Vitrius snarled at Luke and turned around. Rubbing his abdomen, Luke reluctantly followed Han after Vitrius.

They had gone about one hundred meters when they were confronted with another squadron of Stormtroopers. "There they are! Blast them!" one said.

Luke jumped aside as the Stormtroopers opened fire. With both blades activated, Vitrius deflected the bolts back towards the Stormtroopers. "On your left!" Padmé yelled out suddenly. Spinning his head, Luke saw another group of Stormtroopers running towards them. Han and Padmé opened fire on the squadron, momentarily scattering them.

"Run!" Vitrius yelled to Padmé. "The hangar's that way! I'll hold them off for now!"

Padmé nodded and grabbed Luke, pulling him up off the ground. "Let's go!" she said to him and Han. Ducking to avoid blaster fire, Luke followed his mother down the hallway where the first group of Stormtroopers had come from. Leaping over a smoking corpse, Luke ran after Padmé as fast as he could.

"There she is!" Han said when they reached a window overlooking the hangar. "We've got to go down a level."

"There's an elevator," Luke said, pointing to the end of the hall. Bolting off towards the elevator, Luke came to an abrupt stop when the doors opened, revealing even more Stormtroopers. "You cannot be serious," Luke muttered before jumping aside.

"Take the stairs!" Han yelled from behind him before opening fire on the unsuspecting Stormtroopers. "Chewie and I'll hold them off!"

"Come on!" Luke said to Padmé, taking her hand. They ran away from the commotion towards the stairs on the west side of the hallway. Wrenching the door open, they ran down the stairs, the sounds of blaster fire receding as they made their way down. Opening the door on the hangar level, Luke was confronted with three Stormtroopers pointing their blasters at his chest.

"Don't move!" it ordered. "Drop your weapons." Next to him, Padmé dropped her blaster and kicked it over to the Stormtroopers. "Cuff them."

The nearest Stormtrooper took one step towards Padmé when he suddenly went flying in the opposite direction and landed with a thud on his back thirty feet away. Shocked, Luke looked around just in time to see a blue flash strike down the other two Stormtroopers.

"Ben?" Luke said incredulously.

Obi-Wan deactivated his lightsaber and turned back to face him and Padmé. "Where's Han and the Wookie?" he asked.

"We got separated," Luke said. "We can't leave without them!"

"You get on the ship, I'll go find the others," Obi-Wan said. "It's wonderful to see you again, Padmé," he added before pushing past them to run up the stairs.

"Come on, Luke, let's go," Padmé said, picking up her blaster off the ground.

"We can't let him go alone!" Luke exclaimed. "There are dozens of Stormtroopers up there!"

"Obi-Wan can handle himself," Padmé said. "Let's go."

Glancing around the hangar, Luke followed her in a sprint towards the Falcon which was waiting directly in front of them. They encountered no resistance and were able to rush on board without incident. Rushing off towards the cockpit, Luke began the ignition process while Padmé watched him.

"Can you fly this thing?" she asked.

"I don't know," Luke said honestly. "It's Han's ship. We're not leaving without him."

"Are you a pilot too?" Padmé asked curiously.

Before he could answer, they heard several sets of footsteps boarding the ship. Stepping out of the cockpit, he saw Han and Chewbacca followed closely by Vitrius. "Alright, let's go," she said.

"But what about Obi-Wan!" Luke said.

Vitrius' looked at Luke sharply. Pushing past Chewbacca, she grabbed Luke by the collar of his shirt and pulled him towards her. "What did you just say?" she growled.

"Vitrius, let him go!" Padmé cried, clawing at the younger woman's sinewy arm. "Let him go!"

Vitrius complied and pushed Luke away from her. Stumbling backward, Padmé caught him before he fell over. "He's here, isn't he?" she said to Padmé. "Kenobi came to rescue you." Padmé didn't say anything, holding her hands out in front of her as she stood in front of Luke defensively. "I'll kill him," Vitrius said with a manic grin. "I'll kill him for what he did."

"Vitrius, please!" Padmé pleaded. "You can't –"

But Vitrius wasn't paying attention. Hearing a new set of footsteps approaching, she spun around and ran towards the entrance. "I got the droids!" he heard an unsuspecting Obi-Wan say when he entered. "It's time to –" He stopped abruptly when he saw Vitrius standing in front of him holding two activated lightsabers.

"Han, get us out of here!" Luke said to Han who was watching the scene with his mouth open.

"Right," he said, snapping out of it. "Chewie, let's go!"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," Vitrius said in a low voice as Han and Chewbacca rushed off towards the cockpit. Nervously, Obi-Wan stepped back and stumbled slightly when he walked into R2 who made an indignant-sounding beep.

"Who are you?" Obi-Wan asked as he took out his own lightsaber.

"Vitrius, stop!" Padmé cried.

"I am Darth Vitrius," she said, ignoring Padmé. "You killed my father." The ship suddenly lurched forward, sending Luke flying into the wall. Han had evidently taken off.

"You're Sidious' apprentice?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I am," Vitrius said. "And I am Vader's heir."

Obi-Wan tilted his head and frowned. "You're his what?" he asked.

"I am Darth Vader's daughter," she said loudly. "And I will avenge his death!" Obi-Wan only barely managed to evade Vitrius' blow as the blade went slashing through the wall. Backing away towards Luke and Padmé, Obi-Wan finally ignited his own blade.

"Vader had no daughter," Obi-Wan said, panting a bit. "You're lying."

"How dare you!" Vitrius bellowed as she slashed again with the red blade. Obi-Wan parried the strike and continued to back away. "You will pay for what you did!"

"Luke, run!" Padmé said to him.

"We've got to help Ben!" Luke replied. Padmé shook her head and pushed him away down towards the cockpit. Drawing her blaster, Padmé turned towards the fight ensuing in front of them.

"Vitrius, drop it!" she yelled, pointing her blaster at Vitrius' head.

"Padmé, no!" Obi-Wan said as he narrowly avoided the blue blade by ducking.

"Stay out of this, Senator," Vitrius growled as Obi-Wan continued to retreat slowly toward them. The hallway had been mutilated by Vitrius' blades; debris coated the floor and slash marks covered the walls. Raising both blades, she swung down at Obi-Wan once again. Luke held his hands to his ears as Padmé opened fire on Vitrius, hitting her in the left shoulder.

Roaring with pain, Vitrius dropped the blue lightsaber. Taking advantage, Obi-Wan moved in and went on the offensive. Despite the injury, Vitrius managed to hold Obi-Wan off for a while. As Obi-Wan pushed her back, Luke rushed forward and scooped up his father's lightsaber. "Luke, no!" Padmé exclaimed when he ignited the blade and made to rush into the fray. "You don't know what you're doing!"

Hesitating, Luke watched as Obi-Wan expertly dueled with Vitrius. Deciding that his mother was right, he backed away towards her and stared in awe at the fight. Vitrius was clearly more skilled than Obi-Wan, but the injury to her shoulder was undeniably taking its toll on her.

After a few minutes, Vitrius pushed Obi-Wan to the ground by Padmé's feet . Instead of advancing, however, she deactivated her red blade and grabbed her shoulder. Her cheeks were streaked with tears of pain as she crouched down. Confused, Obi-Wan got to his feet and held his lightsaber in front of him.

"Who are you really?" Obi-Wan asked the grievously injured Sith.

"I… I am Darth Vitrius," she said through gritted teeth. Grimacing, she looked up at Obi-Wan. "Are you going to kill me like you killed my father?"

Obi-Wan glanced at Padmé before returning his gaze to Vitrius. "That's not possible," he said to himself. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Obi-Wan, what are you talking about?" Padmé asked.

Struggling to her feet, Vitrius brandished her deactivated lightsaber firmly in her right hand. Trembling with pain, she pointed the hilt horizontally towards Obi-Wan. "Do it!" she screamed. "Kill me!"

"Vitrius, stop this," Padmé said.

"I hate you!" Vitrius yelled to Obi-Wan. "You ruined my life!"

"I did no such thing," Obi-Wan said as he lowered his blade.

"You killed Vader!"

"I did," Obi-Wan said with a frown. "So how can you exist?"

"Ben, what is going on?" Luke asked.

"I don't know," he replied with a shake of his head. "This can't be possible."

Doubling over in pain once more, Vitrius dropped her lightsaber and fell to her knees. Clutching her shoulder with her right hand, she began to cry. Luke watched with a mixture of shock and sympathy as Vitrius sobbed. "I'm so sorry, Father," she blubbered through tears. "I wasn't strong enough."

Padmé dropped her blaster and rushed forward towards Vitrius. "Mom, what are you doing?" Luke asked.

Falling to her knees, Padmé wrapped her arm around Vitrius' shoulder. "Can you stand?" she asked. Vitrius wiped her eyes with her good arm and nodded. Helping her to her feet, Padmé put her arm around Vitrius' waist. "Come on," she said compassionately. "Let's get you fixed up."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"I failed you, Father," Vitrius whimpered as Padmé half-dragged her towards the main hold.

"Shh, don't say that," Padmé cooed. Vitrius continued to mutter incoherent apologies to her father as Padmé strained under her weight.

"Luke, help me!" she said through gritted teeth as Vitrius began to fall forward. Luke looked ambivalent at the prospect, but nonetheless obliged and stepped forward. As he lifted her left arm, however, Vitrius wailed in pain.

"Not that arm!" Padmé yelled at Luke.

"Sorry," he muttered, releasing Vitrius quickly. Padmé dropped the trembling Sith Lord to the ground, laying her down carefully on the floor. Wiping her brow, she looked up at Luke who was staring down at Vitrius with a mixture of fear and disgust.

"Pick her up," she told him. "She's too heavy for me." Luke nodded and leaned down to scoop Vitrius up. Her left arm dangled uselessly at her side as Luke carried her towards the main hold.

"I'm a failure!" she moaned as her head lolled backwards.

"Would you shut up?" Luke said irritably. Stopping to pick up her discarded blaster, Padmé followed Luke down the hallway. In the main hold, she saw that Luke had laid Vitrius down on a table and was standing over her with a curious expression.

"Luke?" Padmé asked cautiously.

Luke looked up from Vitrius quickly. "Sorry, it's just…"

"Just what?"

"She doesn't look like a monster."

"Why do you say that?" she asked as she walked over towards Vitrius who had ceased blubbering. Her eyes were now closed and she was biting down hard on her lower lip to alleviate the pain in her shoulder.

"Her father killed my father," Luke said. "Didn't you know that?"

"What are you talking about?" Padmé asked. "What do you even know about your father?"

"I know he was a Jedi Knight," Luke said. "Obi-Wan told me that he was killed by Darth Vader."

"He told you that?" Padmé said incredulously.

"Did you not know?" Luke asked.

Padmé looked away from Luke towards the hallway. "I'll be right back," she said as she walked off towards the cockpit. "Stay with her," she added when Luke made to follow her. Marching out of the main hold, she took a left into the cockpit where Han, Chewbacca, and Obi-Wan were all staring out the window with concerned expressions.

"Are these the Rebels?" Han asked.

"It must be," Obi-Wan said, his hand gripping the back of Han's chair. "They must have begun the assault on the Death Star."

Chewbacca growled something and gestured out the window. "Yeah, I'm on it," Han responded. "At least the TIE fighters won't be chasing us." Han steered the ship starboard away from the battle, causing Obi-Wan and Padmé to stumble.

"Obi-Wan, can I have a word?" she asked when they had regained their footing. Obi-Wan looked around to see her looking at him.

"Right now?" he asked. "We're kind of in the middle of –"

"Now," Padmé said with a steely edge to her voice. Surprised, Obi-Wan nodded and followed her out of the cockpit. Padmé took a left down the hallway and dragged Obi-Wan into the first room she saw. Closing the door behind them, she grabbed Obi-Wan by the front of his shirt and pulled him close to her.

"What have you been telling him?" she asked in an angry whisper.

"What are you talking about?" Obi-Wan said fearfully.

"Luke just told me that you said Anakin was killed by someone named Darth Vader," she said with a snarl. "Are you too craven to tell him the truth?"

"Padmé, wait –"

"You killed him, Obi-Wan!" she interrupted. "You killed that boy's father and then you lied to him to save face. Don't deny it!"

"I don't deny it, but –"

"Then tell him the truth now," she said, releasing him into the wall with a shove

"I will, but I don't think you understand everything, Padmé," he said as he held up his hands.

"What don't I understand?" she asked lowly.

"Was Luke your first child?" Obi-Wan asked unexpectedly.

Padmé blinked a few times, confounded by this question. "My first… what are you talking about, Obi-Wan?" she asked.

"I mean, did you have a child with Anakin before Luke?"

Padmé frowned and tilted her head in confusion. "What are you getting at, Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan took a deep breath and lowered his hands. "Perhaps I'm not making sense."

"No, you're not," she said.

"Anakin assumed the name Darth Vader when he turned to the dark side," Obi-Wan explained. "They are the same person."

"They are? Then why are you asking…" Padmé trailed off when she realized what Obi-Wan was saying. Shocked, she held her hands over her mouth. "She's Leia!" she said in a whisper. "She's my daughter!"

"How is that possible?" Obi-Wan asked. "When did you have the time to have two children?"

"She's Luke's twin, Obi-Wan!" Padmé said.

"But I was there, you didn't –"

"She was born after you fled with Luke," Padmé told him. "When the Emperor arrived, he took her from me."

Obi-Wan's eyes widened as he absorbed this information. "Oh my," he said in a stunned voice.

"I have to tell her! She needs to know –"

"Padmé, stop!" Obi-Wan said, grabbing her wrist as she turned to leave. "You can't do that."

"She's my daughter, Obi-Wan!"

"She's a Sith Lord!" Obi-Wan countered. "She won't care. She's completely insane, haven't you seen that? Sidious turned her into a machine."

"You don't know that!" Padmé said angrily, tearing her arm away from Obi-Wan's grip.

"She's consumed by darkness, Padmé. You can't save her."

"Get out of my way, Kenobi," she said ominously. Obi-Wan complied at once and stepped back, allowing Padmé to leave the room. Running down the hallway towards the main hold, she stopped abruptly when she saw Luke seated next to Vitrius who was now sitting upright, grabbing her shoulder gingerly.

"How is it?" Luke asked.

"It hurts a lot," she told him, her face contorted in pain.

Luke looked up to see Padmé in the doorway. He stood up and walked over towards her. "She needs medical attention," he told her. "That wound might get infected." Padmé nodded and stared at her daughter. Padmé felt horrible for what she had just done to her. She would tell her the truth in time, but now she needed to comfort her. It wouldn't be fair to drop this huge information on her when she was in this much pain.

"Thank you, Luke," she said faintly, looking away from her newfound daughter to her newfound son. "Would you ask Han if he has a medical kit?"

"Of course," Luke said and turned to leave the main hold toward the cockpit. Padmé didn't move for a few moments, the shock of discovering both of her children still cascading down upon her in waves. What where the odds? She and Bail had been searching for them for nearly two decades, and all of a sudden they had both appeared on the same day. Shaking herself out of her ruminations, Padmé stepped forward and placed her hand on Vitrius' good shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," she told her. "I shouldn't have shot you."

Vitrius looked up at her with tear stricken eyes. "You should have aimed higher," she said bitterly.

"Don't say that!" Padmé said.

"I deserve to die," Vitrius said in a shaky voice. "I betrayed my master and failed my father."

"What do you know about your father?" Padmé asked curiously.

"He was a great man," Vitrius said without hesitation. "He speaks to me, you know."

"He speaks to you?" Padmé repeated concernedly, taking her hand off Vitrius' right shoulder and crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"For as long as I can remember," Vitrius told her. "He keeps me company when I am alone. He loves me very much."

Padmé blinked a few times before speaking again. "What does he tell you?" she asked.

"He gives me advice and guidance," Vitrius said. "He also tells me who to trust."

"Did he say anything about me?" she asked nervously. Vitrius nodded her head and closed her eyes tight for a moment. "What's wrong?"

"It stings," she said, taking her hand off her injured shoulder. Just then, Luke returned from the cockpit carrying a small medical kit. Padmé beckoned him towards her and took the kit. Rustling through its compartments, she produced a small vile of ointment for blaster wounds.

"Can I see it?" she asked cautiously.

Vitrius glared at her suspiciously but nonetheless nodded and looked away. Padmé reached up and pulled her shirt away to reveal the blaster hole in her shoulder. "Oh, Leia…"

"What did you call me?" Vitrius said sharply, pulling her shoulder away from Padmé.

"Nothing!" Padmé said quickly. "I'm sorry."

Eyes narrowed, Vitrius relaxed slightly and turned back towards Padmé. Unscrewing the top of the vile, Padmé took a copious amount of ointment with her finger and began lathering the wound. Vitrius sighed when Padmé's finger made contact with the seared flesh. "Is that better?" she asked. Vitrius nodded and didn't say anything. "We should dress this with something," Padmé said. "Luke, could you find me some cloth?"

"Cloth?" Luke repeated.

"Oh, never mind," Padmé said. Taking a step away from Vitrius, Padmé leaned down and tore at the hem of her white dress. With a yank, she separated the fabric from her dress and stood back up. "Can you pull your sleeve down?" she asked Vitrius.

Vitrius looked up at Luke before answering. "Luke, could you give us some privacy, please?" Padmé asked, understanding the reason for Vitrius' hesitation.

"Sure," Luke said.

When he had left, Padmé pulled Vitrius' sleeve down farther, revealing her armpit. "Hold that, please," she murmured. Vitrius complied and held her shirt with her right hand as Padmé began to wrap the fabric from her dress around Vitrius' shoulder. After three wraps around, Padmé tied the fabric tightly and stepped away to examine her work. "Is that too tight?" she asked.

Vitrius shook her head and moved her shirt back to cover her shoulder. "Why are you doing this?" Vitrius asked.

"You saved me," Padmé said. "I owe my life to you."

"I was going to abduct you, not save you," Vitrius said, looking down as if in shame. "I wanted to use you to find the Rebels."

Padmé frowned in confusion. "I don't understand. I already told you where the Rebel Base is."

"Motti tried to assassinate me," Vitrius said with savage bitterness. "He wanted to seize control of the Death Star for himself after I killed Tarkin. Father told me to run, but the other voice told me to take you with me."

"What other voice?" Padmé asked.

"He's the other person who talks to me," Vitrius said matter-of-factly. "I don't like him much. He says mean things about my master." Padmé nodded and didn't say anything, deeply distressed by her daughter's state of mind. "But I listened to him this time. He told me to deactivate the superlaser and take you with me."

"You did that?" Padmé asked abruptly. "You took out the laser?"

Vitrius nodded her head. "I couldn't let Motti claim all the glory for my efforts," she said. "The plan was to sabotage the Death Star so that Motti would be humiliated. Then I would use you to find the location of the new Rebel Base after they leave Yavin."

"Oh," Padmé said, shocked by how devious her daughter could be. Sidious truly had raised her to be malicious and Machiavellian to the highest degree. "But you're not doing that anymore?"

"I didn't expect Kenobi would come to rescue you," she said. "Now I am your prisoner."

"You're not our prisoner, Vitrius," Padmé said. "We want to help you."

"Help me?" Vitrius repeated incredulously. "Is that why you shot me in the shoulder?"

Padmé cringed and looked away. "I'm sorry about that," she said again. "I only did it to protect Obi-Wan. He's my friend, you know."

"He's the devil," Vitrius said viciously. "He killed my father."

Feeling uncomfortable, Padmé didn't say anything for a moment. "I'm going to go see if there's a place for you to lie down," she said eventually, deciding not to address Vitrius' assessment of Obi-Wan. "You should get some rest, after all." Vitrius made no objection and Padmé left the main hold in a hurry.

Arriving in the cockpit, she found the small room jam-packed as Luke and C3P0 had both joined Han, Chewbacca, and Obi-Wan. "Hey, Han?" she asked when she stepped inside. "Could you find Vitrius a place to lie down?"

Han turned around and gave her a strange look. "Um… sure," he said, standing up from the pilot's seat.

"Did you tell her?" Obi-Wan asked in an urgent whisper when Han had left.

Padmé shook her head. "She's in a lot of pain right now, I didn't want to stress her even more."

"What are you two talking about?" Luke asked. "What didn't you tell her?"

Padmé glanced at Obi-Wan with a conflicted expression. "I'll tell you later, Luke," she said. Biting her lower lip, she looked out the window to see the looming orb that was Yavin 4. "How soon until we get there?" she asked.

"Not long," Obi-Wan said. "The only question is will the Empire get there first."

"Oh, we don't have to worry about that," Padmé said, turning away from the window to look at Obi-Wan. "Vitrius disabled the superlaser."

"She did?" Obi-Wan asked incredulously. "Why? And how?"

"I don't know," Padmé said disingenuously. "Does it matter why?"

"I suppose not," Obi-Wan said. "Although it doesn't make any sense for her to sabotage Sidious' prized weapon."

"Maybe there's more to her than you realize," Padmé said pointedly. Obi-Wan frowned but didn't offer a retort. A few moments later, Han returned, looking somewhat harried. "That one's a piece of work," he said as he fell down into his chair. "A real piece of work."

"What happened?" Padmé asked nervously.

Han snorted and slumped back in his chair as he stared out into space. "She's a bit of a bitch," he said.

"Hey!" Padmé exclaimed. "Don't talk about her like that!"

Han swiveled around and raised his eyebrow at her. Glancing at Luke, he bit back a retort and nodded. "Sorry, ma'am," he muttered. Turning back towards the window, nobody said anything for a while.

About fifteen minutes later the radio crackled to life. _"Unidentified vessel, do you have a clearance code to land? I repeat, Unidentified vessel, do you have a clearance code to land? Over." _

Han looked behind him and shrugged at them. "What do I do?" he asked.

"Step aside," Padmé said tersely. Han obliged and got out of the pilot's seat. Sitting down, Padmé activated the radio. "This is Padmé Amidala. Over," she said simply.

"That's not going to work," Han said. "They're going to shoot us out of the sky!"

The radio came to life just as Han closed his mouth, however. _"Senator Amidala, welcome back!" _a new voice said. _"You have permission to land. Over" _

Padmé stood up out of the pilot's seat and smirked at Han. "You were saying?" she said.

Han shook his head good naturedly and looked at Luke. "Your mom is awesome, kid," he said.

* * *

Upon landing on Yavin 4, Padmé was whisked off towards the command room. She had insisted that Luke come along with her and that Vitrius be taken to the hospital ward. Her escorts formed a ring around her as they marched her and Luke down the halls. When they reached the command room, General Dodonna came rushing forward to greet her.

"Padmé, I'm so glad you're all right," he said.

"Where is Mon?" Padmé asked as she looked around the room for her old friend.

"She's been evacuated with the rest of the top command," he told her. "They're on their way to Hoth right now."

"Then why are you still here?"

"I'm in command of the assault on the Death Star," he explained. "We need to get you off this planet as soon as possible. The Death Star is going to be in range in twenty minutes."

"The laser has been sabotaged, Jan," she told him. "It's not going to be able to fire."

"What? How do you know that?"

"Just trust me," she said urgently. "You need to call off this assault and evacuate the base as soon as possible."

"This is our only chance, Padmé! We can't flee now!"

"Your fighters don't stand a chance against that battle station and you know it."

"There is a weakness in the design," Dodonna said, beckoning her towards the table in the center of the command room. "See that thermal exhaust port?" he said, gesturing towards the northern end of a holographic projection of the Death Star. "It goes directly to the main reactor!"

"So?" Padmé asked.

"One shot would blow up the whole station," Luke said from behind her.

"Exactly!" Dodonna exclaimed. "Wait, who are you?" he asked when he gave Luke a second look. "I don't recognize you."

"How big is this exhaust thing?" she asked, deciding to ignore Dodonna's question.

The general turned back to her and gave her a sheepish look. "It's um… two meters wide," he said.

"Two meters wide!" Padmé exclaimed. "And you intend to hit that target from an X-Wing? That's impossible!"

"But it's not impossible," Luke said. "I used to bullseye womp rats in my T16 back home, they're not much bigger than two meters." Padmé gave Luke an incredulous look. Withering under her intense glare, Luke looked away. "Never mind," he said in a small voice.

"Jan, you have to call this off," she said when she turned back to Dodonna. "This is a suicide mission and you know it."

"It's too late for that," Dodonna said with a shake of his head. "Our forces have already engaged the Death Star."

"Well at least begin preparations to evacuate the base!" she cried. "As long as that laser is down, you should be able to get out but I don't know for how long it will be out of commission."

"Are you sure it's down?" he asked skeptically.

"I'm sure of it," Padmé said definitively. "Give the order to begin the evacuation."

Dodonna pursed his lips and looked at the command table. "Very well," he said reluctantly. "I'll give the order."

"Thank you," she said with a sigh of relief. Turning around, she took Luke by the hand and dragged him towards the exit.

"Where are you going?" Dodonna called after her, but Padmé didn't answer. Instead she pushed her way out the door and took a right down the hall. The hallways of the Rebel Base were eerily quiet and Padmé and Luke's footsteps echoed loudly as they made their way towards the medical bay.

"Mom, wait up!" Luke said when she turned a corner. "The hangar's the other way!"

"I'm not going to the hangar," Padmé said when she came to a stop at the end of the hall. "I want to check on Vitrius."

"Why?" Luke asked incredulously.

Padmé didn't answer him and instead turned left towards the medical ward. The area was in a state of flux as nurses and droids ran about carrying boxes and medical instruments. Evidently Dodonna had given the order to evacuate already.

"Excuse me," she said to a silver protocol droid. "Can you help me? I'm looking for a patient?"

"Of course, ma'am," the droid said politely. "What is the patient's name?"

Padmé hesitated and looked beyond the droid for a moment. "It is a Jane Doe," she said. "She just arrived here a few minutes ago. Do you know where she might be?"

"Yes, ma'am. Room 13 on the left," the droid informed her.

"Thank you so much," Padmé said as she pushed past the droid. Sidestepping a different bulky medical droid, Padmé rushed down the hall towards Room 13, Luke following close behind. When she reached the room in question, the door opened and a frenzied nurse stepped out.

"Excuse me!" Padmé called out as she approached. "Is there a Jane Doe in this room?"

"There is," the nurse said irritably. "I'm sorry, but I must be going."

"Wait!"

The nurse stopped and looked back at her. "What do you want?" he asked.

"How is she?"

"We redressed her shoulder with bacta bandages. The wound should heal in a few weeks. Excuse me, but I must –"

"Please, wait just a second," Padmé interrupted in a whisper. Glancing behind her at Luke, she took a step towards the nurse. "Could you please run a paternity test?"

The nurse raised an eyebrow and looked behind her at Luke. "Um… you think he's the patient's father? Because I'm sorry to break it to you, but –"

"No!" Padmé exclaimed. "Not him! Could you please just find out if I'm her mother?"

"Oh," the nurse said, realization dawning on his face. "Sorry 'bout that." Padmé rolled her eyes as the nurse chuckled a bit at himself. "I'll need a sample of your blood in that case."

"I should be in the system already," Padmé said, still speaking quietly so that Luke wouldn't hear. "My name is Padmé Naberrie."

"Alright, I'll run the labs," the nurse said. "I can get the results back to you in six hours if we're not all obliterated before then, of course."

"Thank you," Padmé said with a little smile. She placed a hand on her forehead as the nurse stepped back into the room. She wasn't sure why she was so insistent on doing this. Deep down, she knew that Vitrius was her daughter. Yet she wanted definitive confirmation for some reason. Maybe it was because she was hoping against hope that she wasn't actually hers. Vitrius was clearly a deranged and deeply damaged person. It broke her heart to think that her own daughter had been so horribly scarred by that monster Sidious.

"What was that all about?"

Padmé looked up to see Luke standing next to her. He was looking down at her with a concerned expression. No doubt her behavior had been especially disconcerting to Luke who had no idea what was going on. "I'm sorry for not being transparent with you, Luke," Padmé said with a sigh. "Let's sit down."

Walking over towards a bench opposite Room 13, Luke and Padmé sat down. "What did Obi-Wan tell you about your father?" she asked him suddenly.

Surprised by the question, Luke didn't answer for a few moments. "Hardly anything," he said eventually. "I know his name was Anakin Skywalker and he was a Jedi Knight who got killed in the purges by Vitrius' father, Darth Vader."

Padmé closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. "Obi-Wan lied to you," she said as calmly as she could. "Anakin wasn't killed by Vader. He became Vader."

"What are you talking about?" Luke asked. "He became Vader? What does that mean?"

Padmé bit her lower lip and looked away as she recounted Anakin's demise once more. "Anakin was an incredible man, but he was also deeply troubled. He was taken away from his mother when he was nine years old and he never really recovered from that trauma."

Luke nodded his head once. "What does that have to do with –"

"Anakin was exceptionally powerful, so much so that the Jedi referred to him as the Chosen One, and they predicted that he would be the one to bring balance to the Force, whatever that means. In spite of this, he didn't feel as if they treated him fairly. He felt as if the Jedi were hiding things from him and he suspected that they feared his powers. For some reason which I will never understand, he decided to abandon the Jedi and join forces with the Emperor."

"What? That's not true!"

"It is, Luke. I'm sorry, but it's the truth. Anakin turned to the dark side and assumed the Sith name Darth Vader."

"But that doesn't make any sense! I thought Vader killed him?"

Padmé shook her head as she felt her eyes begin to water up. "Vader killed Anakin in the sense that he transformed into a monster and became unrecognizable to the young man whom I loved." Luke didn't say anything to this and when Padmé turned to look at him he still looked visibly confused. "Obi-Wan killed your father," she told him. "He confronted him and murdered him on Mustafar."

Stunned, Luke looked away and stood up. "No, that can't be," he said as he began pacing the hallway.

"It's the truth, Luke," Padmé said as a single tear cascaded down her cheek as she watched her son. "I'm so, so sorry."

Luke paused abruptly and turned to look at her with wide eyes. "Vitrius said her father is Vader," he said in a quiet voice, barely audible over the commotion of the medical ward. Padmé nodded her head once. "How? How is that possible?"

Before she could answer, the door to Room 13 opened revealing the nurse carrying a vile of blood. "All done," he told her. "I'll drop these off in the lab and have them run it before we leave."

"Thank you," Padmé said as she stood up. When the nurse walked away, she took a step towards Luke and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you her mother too?" he asked her.

Padmé nodded. "She's your twin sister, Luke," she told him.

Luke gaped at her silently for a few moments before looking towards the door. "But why didn't I know? Why were we separated?"

"Right after you were born, the Emperor arrived," she told him somberly. "I told Obi-Wan to take you to Naboo where you would be safe. I didn't know that I was carrying twins at the time. Leia was born just as Palpatine arrived."

"Leia?" Luke repeated. "Is that her real name?"

"That was what I named her, yes." Padmé closed her eyes tight as she recounted the horrible event, her lower lip trembling precariously. "P-Palpatine took her from me. He wrenched her out of my hands and left. He stole my children from me!" Padmé felt Luke step towards her and wrap his arms around her comfortingly. Allowing herself to be enveloped in his embrace, Padmé began to sob as she placed her head on her son's chest. "He destroyed her!" she said through the tears. "He… he turned her into a monster!"

Luke stroked the back of her head gently and said nothing while she cried. All around them, droids and nurses ran about in organized chaos. Luke and Padmé ignored them, however, as they rocked back and forth slowly in the middle of the hall, mourning for the life that Palpatine had stolen from them.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Vitrius was sitting in the hospital bed trying not to pick at her bacta bandages when the door opened. Looking around, she saw Amidala followed closely by her annoying son. Vader's voice growled at the sight of her, but he didn't say anything.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"We just wanted to see how you are," Amidala said as her son closed the door behind them.

"I'm fine," Vitrius said tersely, looking away from them.

"How is your shoulder?"

Vitrius turned back to offer a snide comment when she hesitated. "Have you been crying?" she asked suddenly when she saw Amidala's face.

Amidala shook her head and wiped at her eyes. "No, I haven't –"

"Why are you sad?" she asked, narrowing her eyes as she scrutinized her face. "Don't lie to me. I can sense it." Amidala looked away towards her son who looked similarly distressed.

"I'm not sad," Amidala said unconvincingly. Vitrius pushed the blanket off her and swung her legs off the bed. Standing up, she approached Amidala who looked surprised by how quickly Vitrius had moved.

"You shouldn't be –"

Vitrius shushed her by putting a finger to her mouth. "Why are you sad, Senator?" Vitrius asked again, inexplicably feeling overwhelmingly curious about the cause of Amidala's melancholy. It was more than curiosity, however. She didn't want Amidala to be sad, for some reason. Why was she so invested in this woman whom she had literally met yesterday?

"Maybe we can talk about this sometime else," Amidala suggested cautiously. "We should be leaving now."

"We?" Vitrius repeated. "Do you intend to take me with you?"

"Of course," Amidala said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Why wouldn't we?"

"_**Don't trust her, Vitrius!" **_Vader told her.

Vitrius ignored him, however. "You're mourning something," Vitrius said as she probed Amidala's mind. "Or is it someone?"

"Vitrius, please," Amidala said, taking a step away from her. "I'll tell you everything later."

Vitrius raised an eyebrow and retreated from Amidala's mind. "Very well," she said. "Let's go."

"_**You're making a mistake," **_Vader told her urgently. _**"Don't go with this woman!"**_

"Shut up," Vitrius whispered when Amidala and Luke turned around. "I don't want to talk to you right now." Receiving no retort, Vitrius followed Amidala out into the hallway.

* * *

"When are you going to tell her?"

Padmé looked away from Luke's expectant face. She was seated in the main hold of the Millennium Falcon. Luke was standing opposite her on the other side of the hologram table. Obi-Wan was leaning wearily against the wall as he stroked his beard, totally aloof from the conversation.

"When it's confirmed, I'll tell her," Padmé said quietly. Vitrius was lying down in the guest room down the hall, but Padmé felt it was wise to keep her voice down.

"Do you think she will turn?" Luke asked. "Away from the Emperor, I mean."

Padmé pursed her lips and looked at Obi-Wan. "I hope so, Luke, but we shouldn't put too much pressure on her. She's a severely damaged person. We need to nurture her and show he that we love her. She's never had anyone who loved her except for that voice in her head."

"What voice?" Obi-Wan asked, finally looking up at her.

"She says Vader talks to her," Padmé told him. "Does that make any sense?"

Obi-Wan leaned back against the wall, his brow furrowed. "Perhaps," he said vaguely. "It's more likely they're just figments of her imagination."

"You think she's schizophrenic?" Padmé asked.

Obi-Wan gave her a doleful look. "It would make sense, wouldn't it?"

Padmé bit her lower lip and looked down, fighting off tears. It was so horrible what Sidious had done to her. "I think it's really Anakin talking to her," she said in a trembling voice. "She said that he tells her things."

"What kind of things?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I don't know, but she said that he told her things about me. I didn't get to find out what he said specifically."

"Don't you think that if it really was Anakin, he would have told her exactly who you are?" Obi-Wan said.

Padmé frowned, having not considered this point. "Maybe he can't," she said. "Maybe he doesn't want her to know."

"Why not?" Obi-Wan asked skeptically.

"I don't know, Obi-Wan!" she said irritably. "You're the expert on these things. Is it possible that Anakin is really speaking to her?"

"I suppose," Obi-Wan admitted. "Although it is highly unlikely. There are ways to retain consciousness after death, but Anakin never learned those techniques."

"But what if he isn't really dead?" Luke said suddenly.

Obi-Wan turned to Luke and shook his head. "He's dead, Luke," he said. "I'm sorry, but there is no way he is still alive."

"Why? Because you killed him?" Luke said bitingly.

Obi-Wan's eyes widened and he turned to Padmé. "I told him the truth," she said. "He had to know."

"Luke, I'm sorry –"

"It's fine," Luke said stiffly. "I'm not angry at you. I understand why you did it."

Obi-Wan blinked a few times in surprise. "I… um, well thank you," he said eventually.

"Anyway, as I was saying," Luke said. "I don't think he's alive, but could his essence still exist through the Force somehow? Maybe his spirit latched on to Vitrius when he died."

"I have never heard of such things," Obi-Wan said.

The three stopped talking, each deep in their own thoughts. It pained Padmé to admit it, but she knew that Obi-Wan was probably right. She doubly wanted it to really be Anakin talking to Vitrius because that would mean that her daughter wasn't psychotic and her husband was still alive in some manner. Yet it was too implausible to be true. It was far more likely that Sidious had damaged her daughter by isolating her since birth. She must have created Vader's voice to provide herself a companion, as Sidious certainly would never have allowed her to make friends or interact with others at all.

Would it be possible to help her? Or was it too late? Padmé could show Vitrius as much love and affection as she possibly could, but that wouldn't change the fact that her childhood had been horrific. How could she ever turn Vitrius back into Leia if Leia had never existed in the first place?

"How about we continue your training, Luke?" Obi-Wan said finally, rousing Padmé from her ruminations.

"Sure," Luke said, his mind clearly elsewhere as well. "But do I have to wear the helmet again?"

"Of course," Obi-Wan said, pushing himself off the wall and reaching behind him to pick up a dusty looking pilot's helmet. "This way you will learn how to use the Force to your advantage."

"Okay, okay," Luke said, accepting the helmet reluctantly.

"What's going on? Are you training Luke?" Padmé asked Obi-Wan.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Obi-Wan asked her cautiously.

Padmé hesitated. She couldn't deny that she was ambivalent about the prospect of Obi-Wan training her son. After all, had it not been at least partially his fault that Anakin had fallen to the dark side. How come Obi-Wan had not been able to stop that? She didn't trust him as she used to.

"It's okay, Mom," Luke said. "I want to be trained."

Padmé's heart melted a little when Luke called her that. She couldn't possibly deny him this.

"Alright," she said, causing Luke to smile broadly.

"How long does it take to get as good as Vitrius?" Luke asked Obi-Wan who was tinkering with a remote droid. "She was amazing back on the Death Star."

"Vitrius has been training her entire life," Obi-Wan said flatly. "So have I, for that matter. It may take years before you master even rudimentary skills which Vitrius can demonstrate effortlessly."

"Oh," Luke said, sagging his shoulders at this statement. His eyes lit up with enthusiasm after a moment, however. "Hey, maybe she can help train me as well!" he said eagerly.

Obi-Wan hesitated as he stepped away from the remote. "I don't think that's a good idea," he said.

"Why not?"

"Your sister is a Sith Lord," Obi-Wan said matter-of-factly.

"So what?" Luke asked.

Obi-Wan glanced at Padmé who provided him with no support. "I think it's a lovely idea," she said, giving Obi-Wan a disapproving look.

"But, Padmé –"

"My daughter is not the same as Dooku or Maul," she said icily. "Just because she has been trained as a Sith doesn't mean she is a monster."

"But –"

"Besides, this would give her a purpose. She may be less inclined to return to Palpatine if she's helping train Luke."

Obi-Wan pursed his lips and glanced at Luke. "Maybe," he said noncommittally. "Luke, are you ready?" he asked, changing the conversation.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm ready," he said. Placing the helmet on his head, Luke reached down and fumbled with his belt. Finding his lightsaber, Luke unhooked it and activated it.

"Is that Anakin's?" Padmé asked Obi-Wan who nodded. "Did you take it from him when…"

"Yes," he said quickly. "I thought it would make sense for Luke to have it." Padmé nodded and looked away from Obi-Wan, feeling strangely hollow inside.

"Is it on yet?" Luke asked. Obi-Wan didn't say anything and stepped away from the remote. All of a sudden, it fired a bolt at an unsuspecting Luke, hitting him in the leg.

"Hey!" Padmé exclaimed, standing up quickly. "That's not fair! Did that hurt him? Luke are you alright?"

"Padmé, please," Obi-Wan said exasperatedly. "Luke is fine. Please leave this to me."

"I'm fine, Mom, really," Luke said, turning towards her voice. "It doesn't hurt."

"I'm sorry," Padmé mumbled as she sat back down. "You can continue."

Obi-Wan looked at her for a moment longer before turning back to the remote. "Reach out into the Force, Luke," he said. "Dissociate yourself from your surroundings and focus on the energy around you."

Luke nodded determinedly and gripped his lightsaber with both hands. Padmé watched him nervously as he followed the remote with his blade despite not being able to see it. Suddenly, the remote sent a bolt which Luke deflected. Impressed, Padmé couldn't help but applaud. Luke turned towards the sound and was therefore unable to deflect the next bolt which hit him squarely in the helmet. Surprised, Luke stumbled back and deactivated his lightsaber. Obi-Wan turned the remote off when Luke took his helmet off.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that," Padmé said quickly. "I'll stop interfering now." Obi-Wan gave her an irritated look and nodded stiffly.

"Let's try that again," Obi-Wan said, not addressing Padmé's apology. "Helmet back on, Luke." Luke obliged and placed the helmet back over his head. This time when he held his lightsaber up, the remote didn't fire for nearly a full minute. Luke tracked it the entire time, calmly swaying back and forth as the remote danced around in front of him. Finally, it opened fire, sending three bolts in rapid succession. Luke deflected the first two down by his pelvis and quickly thrust upwards to deflect the final bolt by his shoulder. Padmé inhaled sharply, yet kept her hands firmly by her side.

"Not bad, kid."

His concentration broken, Luke allowed a bolt to hit him directly in the chest. Padmé looked up to see Vitrius standing in the doorway, her left arm suspended in a sling. Luke took off his helmet to see her watching him.

"Thanks," he said with a lopsided smile.

"Mind if I give it a shot?" Vitrius asked. "I'm going a bit stir crazy."

Padmé glanced at Obi-Wan who looked less than thrilled at the prospect. "Sure!" Luke said enthusiastically, oblivious to Obi-Wan's ambivalence. As Vitrius stepped forward, Obi-Wan's hand went to his belt.

"I'm not going to attack you, Kenobi," Vitrius said calmly when she noticed this gesture. "I've only got one arm."

"You're dangerous no matter how many arms you have," Obi-Wan said stiffly.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Vitrius said with a sardonic wink. Taking the helmet from Luke, she placed it on her head using her right arm. Luke stepped aside as she produced her lightsaber and ignited it.

"You sure you want to do this?" Padmé asked. "You don't want to aggravate your wound."

"I'll be fine," Vitrius said dismissively. "Set it to the max, Kenobi."

Obi-Wan glanced at Padmé who shrugged. Taking his hand off of his own lightsaber, Obi-Wan took a step towards the remote and fiddled with it for a moment. The second he stepped away the remote opened fire on Vitrius who sprang into action. Luke and Padmé watched in awe as Vitrius sliced through the air with one arm, deflecting every bolt the remote threw at her. The remote would alternate between firing continuously or shooting multiple bolts at once. Yet no matter what the remote did, it couldn't get past Vitrius' defenses. After nearly two minutes, Obi-Wan finally stepped forward and turned the remote off.

Breathing hard, Vitrius turned off her red lightsaber and dropped it to the ground. Obi-Wan watched the weapon drop with a stunned expression, amazed that a Sith Lord would drop her guard so blatantly in his presence. Clearly Vitrius didn't consider Obi-Wan to be much of a threat, and based on that performance, Padmé couldn't blame her. With her now free hand, Vitrius tore the helmet off and handed it to Luke. Casually calling her lightsaber back to her hand with the Force, she reattached it to her belt awkwardly with one hand.

"That was unbelievable!" Luke said as he set the helmet down on the hologram table. "You're invincible!"

Vitrius smiled at Luke, but her expression quickly morphed into a grimace. "What's wrong?" Padmé asked when she saw Vitrius reach up to her shoulder.

"I'm fine," she said. "Just a bit sore, that's all."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Padmé asked as she walked around the table towards her.

"I'm fine, really," Vitrius insisted, stepping away from Padmé. "I think I'm going to go lie down again." Padmé bit her lower lip as she watched her leave, still clutching her injured shoulder.

"That was amazing!" Luke said when she had left. "Have you ever seen anything like that?"

Obi-Wan shook his head as he continued to stare down the empty hallway. "Her powers are unlike anything I've ever seen," he said faintly. "Not even Anakin could have kept up with that level for that long. Perhaps Master Yoda could have, but I've never seen him try."

"How is that possible?" Padmé asked. "Wasn't Anakin the most powerful Jedi there was?"

"Indeed, he was," Obi-Wan said. "But Vitrius is a Sith, not a Jedi."

"So she's more powerful?" Luke asked.

"In combat, at least," Obi-Wan said, finally tearing his eyes away from the empty hallway. "Her reflexes are unprecedented. I suspect Sidious emphasized lightsaber training from a very young age. Anakin only began training when he was nine."

"Nine is pretty young," Luke said.

"Not for a Jedi," Padmé explained. "Typically, Jedi would take children away from their parents when they were infants."

"That's awful!" Luke exclaimed.

"It is," Padmé said, giving Obi-Wan a pointed look. "The Jedi Order was a flawed institution. Don't you think so, Obi-Wan?"

"Maybe," he conceded. "But the Sith are worse."

"That doesn't mean Vitrius is irredeemable," she insisted. "My daughter is still in there, Obi-Wan," she added in a hushed voice.

Obi-Wan pursed his lips and looked down at the floor where Vitrius had so casually dropped her lightsaber a few moments ago. "I hope you're right," he said. "Because there is nothing I can do to stop her if she chooses to rejoin Palpatine."

"We won't let that happen," Padmé responded determinedly. "We're going to save her."

* * *

Vitrius was seated cross legged on the floor in the middle of the dark room. Eyes closed, she was attempting to relieve some of her pain through the Force. She hadn't been truthful to Amidala; her shoulder was hurting immensely. Vitrius understood pain, however. She didn't fear it like ordinary people did. All her life she had learned how to cope with pain and to use it to enhance her powers. Sidious taught her that she could only become more powerful through pain. Love and comfort would do nothing for her but weaken her powers and render her susceptible to subterfuge from her enemies.

She had learned how to hide her pain long ago. She never showed her master how much his punishments harmed her. Instead she would wait until she was alone to address the pain. Her father helped her do this; he would somehow absorb the pain in the short-term. He wasn't doing that now, however. Now he was angry at her.

"_**I told you not to trust that woman," **_he growled. _**"You defied me." **_

"No, Father, I didn't," Vitrius whimpered, her shoulder blazing with furious pain.

"_**You failed to kill Kenobi and now you have attached yourself to Amidala." **_

"I haven't attached myself to her!" Vitrius insisted, her face wet with tears of pain. "She's a tool! Nothing more!"

"_**Don't lie to me!" **_Vader bellowed. _**"You are weak! You crave her affections!" **_

"No! No, Father, No!" she wailed.

"_**Am I not enough for you?" **_

"Of course you are, Father!"

"_**Then prove it," **_Vader said. _**"Kill her for me." **_

Vitrius opened her eyes in shock, her whole body still trembling with agony. "But Father –"

"_**Kill her!"**_

"I can't!"

"_**You can't?" **_Vader repeated incredulously.

"I…I…"

"_**You are weak, Vitrius," **_Vader spat. _**"Your master taught you that love is a weakness." **_

"I don't love her!"

"_**Then why won't you kill her?" **_

Vitrius hesitated and looked down at her knees causing tears to plummet down and hit the floor with a splash. "I… I can still use her! I can't kill her now!"

"_**If you were going to use her, you would have done it by now," **_Vader said.

"She's taking me to the new Rebel Base!" Vitrius said manically. "I-I can find out where it is and then escape! Then I can return to my master and be hailed as a hero!"

Vader didn't say anything for a moment as he considered this. _**"Don't allow yourself to get too close to Amidala," **_he said eventually, not addressing her proposal. _**"She is more dangerous than you can possibly realize." **_

"I won't, Father," Vitrius assured him. "I will not fail you, I swear."

"_**For your sake, you better not," **_Vader said ominously.

* * *

"I heard her talking to herself," Luke said.

Padmé nodded, shivering as she walked down the icy halls of the barebones Rebel Base on Hoth. She exhaled once before answering, her breath condensing into a cloud in front of her. "What was she saying?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, I couldn't hear that well," Luke said, his teeth chattering audibly. "But she sounded really distressed."

"Distressed?" Padmé repeated.

"I think she was crying," Luke said solemnly. "I wanted to see what was happening but I knew it was probably a bad idea to intrude."

"I think that was wise of you, Luke," Padmé said as they followed their escort down a hall into an oval shaped room with a circular mahogany table with no chairs.

"Senator Mothma will be with you shortly," the escort told them.

"Thank you," Obi-Wan said as the man turned to leave.

"Do you think Vader could be mad at her for coming along with us?" Luke asked.

"Vader is dead, Luke," Obi-Wan said sternly. "Whomever she is talking to, it isn't her father."

"That doesn't mean that the voice isn't angry at her," Luke countered. "Maybe the voice is a reflection of her mental state?"

"What do you mean, Luke?" Padmé asked.

"I think she feels guilty about not killing Obi-Wan and helping us escape so the voice inside her head is consequently angry at her."

Padmé tilted her head as she considered this interpretation. She was about to respond when Mothma strode in. She was evidently undeterred by the frigid temperature because she was only wearing her typical flowing white dress. Looking around the room, she smiled warmly when she saw Padmé standing next to Luke. Taking two steps towards her, Mothma surprised Padmé by giving her a brief hug. "I'm so glad you're alright," she said when she released her. "We were worried sick when you didn't make contact with us."

"Thank you, Mon," Padmé said, reciprocating her old friend's smile.

"Dodonna told me that you escaped but he didn't say how," Mon told her.

"I would still be on the Death Star if it weren't for these gentleman," Padmé said, taking Luke's hand with a grin. "This is my son, Luke," she told her, answering Mothma's unspoken question.

"Your son?" Mothma repeated incredulously. "You found him?"

"He found me, more like," Padmé said, releasing his hand when she saw him begin to blush with all the attention. "He and Obi-Wan came to rescue me."

Mothma turned to look at Obi-Wan for the first time. "General Kenobi?" she said. "Is that really you?"

"Have I really aged that much?" Obi-Wan asked good-naturedly.

"No! You look good, really," Mothma stammered, turning red with embarrassment.

"It's alright, I know I'm a crusty old man now," Obi-Wan said with a grin. "There's no point in denying it."

"Where have you been all this time? Bail has been looking for you for nearly twenty years!"

"I was on Tatooine looking after Luke," Obi-Wan explained. "I had thought that the Emperor had killed Padmé so I thought it was safest for Luke to stay with his aunt and uncle."

"How come you're here then?" Mothma asked.

"Bail found him," Padmé said. "He told me where to find him when I departed from Scarif. When my ship was stopped, I placed the Death Star plans in my R2 unit and jettisoned him to Tatooine."

"And the droid found its way to Obi-Wan?" Mothma asked incredulously. "That's a miracle!"

"R2 has never let me down before," Padmé said. "I knew he would succeed."

"Then what happened?" Mothma asked.

"Luke and I found a pilot who took us to Alderaan," Obi-Wan said. "After we left the droid with Bail, we went off to Yavin when we were intercepted by the Death Star."

"But how did you manage to rescue Padmé and escape without being detected?"

"They wouldn't have been able to without help," Padmé said.

"Help? From whom?"

Padmé glanced at Obi-Wan who looked deeply uncomfortable. "From my daughter," Padmé said, looking back at Mothma.

Mothma frowned and glanced at Luke. "Your daughter?" she repeated. "But I thought…"

"Sidious took her from me when she was born," Padmé explained when Mothma didn't complete her question. "She's been trained as a Sith all her life."

"She's a Sith?" Mothma said, becoming increasingly bewildered by the minute. "Does she work for the Emperor?"

"She does," Padmé said. "But she helped me escape for some reason."

"Does she know?"

"No," Padmé said. "I didn't know at first either."

"Do you think she will turn when she learns the truth?" Mothma asked.

"I hope so, but she's a deeply disturbed young woman," Padmé said. "She will need a lot of encouragement and support."

"And what would you have me do in the meantime?"

"What do you mean?" Padmé asked.

"She's an Imperial agent, Padmé! I can't let her roam freely about this base. Surely you must understand that."

"Mon, you don't understand! This isn't a normal situation."

"But, Padmé –"

"Mon, please," Padmé interrupted. "What are you going to do? Imprison my daughter?"

"I might," Mothma said, crossing her arms in front of her.

"You can't contain her even if you tried," Padmé said, taking a step towards Mothma. "You don't understand how powerful she is. She could kill everyone on this base if you lay a finger on her."

Intimidated, Mothma took a step back and glanced at Obi-Wan for support. "It would be most unwise to attempt to arrest her," he told her.

"Very well," Mothma said stiffly. "But I can't let her leave this base."

"Thank you, Mon," Padmé said. "Luke and I are going to do our best to turn her."

"And if you fail?" she asked.

"We can't," Padmé said. "Everything depends on this."

* * *

Vitrius was lying on the bed in the Falcon staring blankly at the ceiling when she heard a knock. Glancing to the door lazily, she looked back up at the ceiling and sighed. She didn't feel like getting up. Her shoulder was terribly sore.

"Vitrius?" she heard Amidala's voice say from behind the door. "Can I come in?"

Vitrius closed her eyes and opened the door with the Force. "What do you want?" she asked stiffly, determined to keep Amidala at arm's length. She heard Amidala take a tentative step into the room.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Fine," Vitrius said automatically.

"I'd like for a doctor to look at you now that –"

"I said I'm fine," Vitrius interrupted curtly. Amidala didn't say anything for a moment and Vitrius closed her eyes tighter, not even allowing herself to look at her for fear that she might break her promise to her father. She didn't know what it was about this woman, but when she was around her she felt… different.

"Look, I know you're not telling me the truth," Amidala said after a brief silence. "I can tell you're in pain. Just let me help you."

"Go away," Vitrius said through gritted teeth. "I don't want your sympathy."

Amidala sighed but didn't make any motion to leave. "Have you ever worn a dress before?" she asked unexpectedly.

Surprised, Vitrius opened her eyes and turned to look at her. "A dress?" she said.

"You know, a fancy gown that women wear," Amidala said.

"I know what a dress is."

"Have you worn one before?" Amidala asked again, clearly undeterred by her prickly attitude.

"I…" Vitrius trailed off as she thought about it. "I don't think so," she said finally.

"Would you like to change that?"

Bewildered, Vitrius got off her back and into a sitting position. Hiding her grimace, she gave Amidala a strange look. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Mothma took my wardrobe with her when she evacuated Yavin," Amidala explained. "She claimed she couldn't bear to see my clothes destroyed, but I'm pretty sure she just wanted to wear them herself." Vitrius stared back at her blankly, utterly befuddled by this abrupt shift in conversation. "Anyway, I thought it would be nice to dress you in a few of them. I think you would look lovely."

"You… you do?" Vitrius asked in a small voice. Nobody had ever said she looked lovely in anything before…

"I know it," Amidala said with a dazzling smile. "What do you say?" Before she knew what she was doing, Vitrius was nodding her head and standing up off the bed. "Excellent!" Amidala said enthusiastically. "Let's go."

"_**Vitrius, what are you doing?" **_Vader asked as she followed Amidala out of the room and off the ship. Vitrius ignored him, however. Stepping off the Falcon, Vitrius began to shiver immediately when she was confronted with a brisk gust of chilly wind.

"It's warmer in the center of the base near the generator," Amidala told her when she heard Vitrius' teeth begin to chatter. Hurrying out of the hangar, the two women traversed the snowy hallways until they reached Amidala's room.

"That's much better," Amidala said when they stepped inside. Rubbing her arms, she walked across the room towards the closet. "I'll be right back," she said before disappearing into the closet.

Feeling supremely out of place, Vitrius tapped her foot nervously as she looked around the cozy room. She knew she shouldn't be standing here in Amidala's room, especially after having promised to her father that she wasn't going to get any closer to her. Yet here she was, totally defying her father's wishes. What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she follow even the simplest of orders anymore? What was it about Amidala that rendered her utterly impudent to her father?

"I picked out three, let's see how you like them."

Vitrius spun her head around to see that Amidala had emerged from the closet carrying a trio of spectacular gowns. Vitrius' eyes widened as Amidala set each one down on the bed. She had never seen such beautiful clothes before in her life.

"Which one do you want to try first?" Amidala asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Tongue tied, Vitrius didn't say anything. The options were simply too overwhelming. "I think we should start with the yellow one," Amidala said cheerily when it became clear that Vitrius was unable to choose for herself. "I think that's a good color for you."

"Yellow?" Vitrius said faintly. She had never worn anything yellow before.

"It will go well with your skin," Amidala said as she picked the dress up and held it in front of her. "It's very pale."

"I… I spend most of my time in space," Vitrius said defensively.

"I'm not criticizing you," Amidala said quickly. "I have pale skin too, you know." When Vitrius didn't say anything, Amidala handed her the dress. "You're going to need help getting into that with your shoulder," she said when Vitrius took the dress with her right hand.

"Help?" Vitrius repeated concernedly.

"It's alright," Amidala said reassuringly. "I'll just help you get the dress on and off, that's all."

"No," Vitrius said stiffly. "I don't need help."

"Suit yourself," Amidala said. "But let me know if you change your mind. You can get changed in the bathroom."

Nodding, Vitrius took the dress and passed Amidala toward the bathroom at the other end of the room. Wincing with pain, she used her left hand to open the door because her other hand was still holding the dress. Closing the door behind her forcefully, she leaned against the door and dropped the dress. Clutching her shoulder, Vitrius took a few steadying breaths as she waited for the pain to subside.

Stripping out of her clothes awkwardly with one hand, Vitrius paused to look at herself in the mirror. Her skin was deathly pale, she realized. When was the last time she had been exposed to any genuine sunlight?

"_Now that you're free of that mask, you won't have that problem anymore," _the soft voice said.

"My master wants me to wear that mask," Vitrius said. "I'll need to get a new one."

"_You don't have to, Leia," _the voice said. _"You don't need to follow his orders anymore." _

Growling, Vitrius decided to ignore him and turned away from the mirror. She hesitated when she looked at the dress which was crumpled on the floor. Raising it with the Force, she caught her breath when she took a closer look at it. The embroidered bodice was unlike anything she had ever seen before. She had never worn anything like it. Her master had never let her wear anything other than black or grey robes.

When she took the dress out of the air, however, she realized a problem. There was no way she was going to be able to get into it with just one hand. If she were being honest, she wasn't sure if she would be able to get into it even with both hands. She had no idea where to even start.

"_Ask for help, Leia," _the voice whispered to her._ "There's no shame in asking for help." _

Determined not to listen to the voice, Vitrius took a deep breath and began trying to get into the dress. Five minutes later, Vitrius was lying on the floor panting. How could it be that she had been defeated? This dress was her mortal enemy! She had never faced an opponent more cunning or ruthless!

Vitrius looked up when she heard a knock on the door. "How's it going in there?" Amidala's voice asked from behind the door. "It's been a while."

Vitrius hesitated and looked at the dress which was crumpled at her feet. There was no way she was going to be able to get into it alone. Why did she care so much about this? It was a stupid dress! Why was she so desperate to see herself wearing it?

When she heard no response, Amidala opened the door cautiously. As the door creaked open, Vitrius panicked and covered herself with the dress. "Vitrius?" Amidala asked. Looking down, she saw her leaning against the sink. "Oh dear," she said.

Amidala kneeled down beside her. "I told you you would need help," she said with a knowing smile. "Why don't you put your pride aside and let me help you?"

Vitrius opened her mouth to offer a snide comment when the soft voice interrupted her. _"Let her help you, Leia," _he said. _"You don't have to do everything alone." _Hesitating, Vitrius looked away from Amidala's brown eyes and stared at the tiled floor for a moment. Finally, she looked back and nodded.

Amidala's smile widened. "Come on," she said. "Let's get you into this dress."

A few minutes later, Vitrius was standing in front of the mirror in Amidala's room having finally vanquished the dreaded dress with Amidala's help. She stared back at her reflection with wide eyes. "You look beautiful," Amidala whispered to her. "How does it feel? Too tight?"

Vitrius shook her head, unable to speak. "You can take it if you want," Amidala said as she turned away from the mirror.

"I couldn't!" Vitrius exclaimed, spinning away from the mirror to face Amidala.

"I insist," Amidala said as she picked up another dress from the bed. "I have too many dresses, anyway."

"But –"

"Vitrius, you're taking that dress," Amidala said with uncharacteristic sternness.

"Okay," Vitrius said faintly.

Amidala smiled at her and placed the black gown she was carrying back down on the bed "You know what, you wear too much black as it is," she said. "Let me see if I can find another one in the closet." Vitrius blinked a few times as she watched Amidala leave.

When the door closed behind her, she turned back to the mirror and stared at her reflection once again. She was startled when she heard something vibrate behind her. Turning towards the sound, she saw a holopad light up on Amidala's end table. Glancing towards the closet, Vitrius looked back at the holopad. Curious, she stepped away from the mirror towards the end table. Picking up the holopad with her right hand, she saw that a message had come in for Amidala. Impulsively, she opened it.

_Subject: Paternity Test Result _

A large, confusing chart full of numbers followed and Vitrius swiped down to the end of the document.

_Probability of Paternity – 99.996%_

_Assessment – Naberrie, Padmé (subject ID 1206678) is the biological mother of Doe, Jane (subject ID 1887612)_

Vitrius looked up from the holopad. Padmé Naberrie? Was that Amidala? And who was Jane Doe? Could that be…

Vitrius' eyes widened as she realized what had happened. That was why that nurse had come back to her room and drawn a vile of blood. It hadn't been for a routine check, but a paternity test! Amidala was her mother! Why hadn't she told her? Why had she been lied to?

"Let's see what you think of this one."

Vitrius looked up sharply to see that Amidala had returned from the closet carrying a frilly fuchsia dress. "What's wrong?" she asked when she saw Vitrius' expression.

"You lied to me," Vitrius said in a steely voice. Setting the holopad down on the counter, Vitrius clenched her fists and felt herself begin to tremble with rage. "Vader was right about you, Amidala. You're a liar!"

Amidala dropped the dress on the bed and held her hands out. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said cautiously. "I haven't lied to you about anything."

"Then explain this," Vitrius said, picking up the holopad with the Force and throwing it at her. Amidala caught the holopad and looked at the message. Her eyes scanned back and forth until she reached the bottom of the screen. Closing her eyes, she set the holopad down next to the dress.

"Vitrius, I can explain –"

"You lied to me!"

"I didn't lie," Amidala said calmly. "I didn't know either."

"Then why did you do the test?" Vitrius asked accusatively.

Amidala swallowed hard. "I had a suspicion," she said weakly.

"_**Liar!" **_Vader yelled. _**"I warned you, Vitrius!" **_

"Vitrius, please listen to me," Amidala said tentatively. "I want to help you."

"_**Kill her!" **_

"I didn't mean to hide this from you, I swear."

"_**Don't listen to her! Kill her!" **_

"Please, Vitrius –" Amidala ceased talking abruptly and held her hands to her throat. "No… please…" Vitrius tightened her grip on Amidala's traitorous throat, her arm shaking with rage.

"You want to use me," Vitrius said in a low voice.

"No…" Amidala managed to say, her face turning purple as she clawed at her throat.

"_**Kill her!" **_

"_Leia, stop!" _

"_**Kill her!" **_

"_Leia!" _

"_**KILL HER!"**_

"Leia…" Amidala said. "Please…"

Vitrius' arm dropped and Amidala collapsed to the floor. Breathing heavily, Vitrius sank to her knees. What was wrong with her? She had just tried to kill her mother! Vader had egged her on. A few more seconds and she would have done it…

Shakily, Vitrius got back to her feet. On the other side of the bed, Amidala was sprawled out on the ground unconscious. Terrified, she rushed around the bed and kneeled beside her. She was still breathing. Sighing in relief, Vitrius closed her eyes when she suddenly felt her shoulder erupt in pain.

"_**You failed me, Vitrius!" **_Vader bellowed in her mind. _**"You should have killed her." **_

"No," she responded defiantly. "You don't control me!"

Outraged, Vader let out a shriek of rage causing Vitrius to collapse in pain. Screaming, Vitrius felt as if her entire body was on fire. "Father, please!" she wailed as he body convulsed viciously and her vision blurred with tears. "Forgive me!"

"_**Failure!" **_Vader screeched, his voice no longer sounding human. _**"Weakling! Insubordinate! Traitor!" **_

"Father!"

Amidst the agony, she felt a soft touch on her injured shoulder. "Leia! Leia!" she heard a distant voice cry.

"Mother?"

Unable to bear the pain any longer, Vitrius blacked out.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Leia! Leia!"

"Mom, you have to let them take her."

"Leia!"

"She's going to be okay."

"He killed her! He killed her!"

"She's not dead. She's going to be okay."

Luke held his hysterical mother as the medical droids carted Vitrius' still convulsing body away down the hall. Padmé sobbed into his chest and clawed painfully at his arms. With a dazed expression, Luke watched his newfound sister disappear around a corner, her shrieks of pain still echoing about the hallway.

He was grateful that he had decided to check in on his mother when he had. When he had approached the room, he heard horrific screams. Throwing the door open, he had been presented with a terrible sight. Vitrius had been seizing on the ground, her eyes rolled back into her head as she screamed in agony. Padmé had been kneeling by her side, utterly debilitated by fear and hysteria.

After a few minutes, Padmé finally began to recompose herself and Luke let her go tentatively. "What happened?" he asked, rubbing his arm tenderly where Padmé had scratched him.

"Sh-she found out," Padmé said shakily, her eyes bloodshot and still glistening with tears. "She saw the p-paternity test."

"Then what happened?"

Padmé wiped her nose with the back of her hand and looked down the hall where Vitrius had gone. "She was angry," she said hoarsely. "She… she lashed out."

"Lashed out?" Luke asked. "What does that mean?"

Padmé's face contorted and it looked as if she was going to cry again. "It doesn't matter," she said in a wavering voice. "I don't know what happened, but she collapsed and started shaking."

"You don't know why?" he asked. Padmé shook her head and covered her mouth with her knuckles. "Let's go," Luke suggested softly. He suspected that she wasn't telling him the full truth, but he didn't want to press her any further when she was in such a precarious state.

Padmé accepted Luke's hand and allowed him to guide her toward the medical bay. When they arrived, they were met by Obi-Wan. "What happened?" he asked, looking nervous. "I felt a disturbance in the Force."

"Vitrius found out," Luke told him, glancing at his still trembling mother. "She didn't take it well."

"What does that mean?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I'm not quite sure," Luke said honestly. "It sounds like she's stopped screaming, though."

Bewildered, Obi-Wan turned his head when a medical droid approached them. "The patient is in stable condition," it told them mechanically.

"What's wrong with her?" Luke asked.

"Nothing," the droid said.

"Nothing?" Luke repeated incredulously.

"There is nothing medically wrong with the patient besides her wounded shoulder," the droid elaborated dryly.

"Then why was she screaming?"

"We are not sure," the droid said. "We anesthetized the patient and that caused the convulsions to stop. We will reassess the patient when she wakes."

Luke nodded absently and looked back at Padmé who was staring blankly past the droid. "Come on, Mom, let's go sit down," he suggested gently. Blinking a few times, Padmé looked up at him and nodded. Placing his arm around her shoulder, Luke guided her toward a bench on the opposite end of the hallway. When they sat down, Padmé leaned against Luke's shoulder and continued to stare at the entrance to the medical ward.

"She's going to be alright," Luke whispered to her. "I'm sure of it."

They waited on the bench silently for over an hour as Obi-Wan paced in front of them. After some time, Han and Chewbacca stopped by to check in on the situation as they had heard about what had happened from someone else on the base. Finally, a protocol droid came walking out of the glass doors of the med bay and tottered over toward them.

"You may visit the patient now," the droid said in a soothing, feminine voice.

"Thank you," Luke said, standing up with Padmé.

"Obi-Wan, stay here," Padmé said firmly. Obi-Wan opened his mouth to object but Luke shook his head at him. Frowning, Obi-Wan crossed his arms but nonetheless complied with Padmé's wish. Luke and Padmé followed the protocol droid through the sliding doors and into the med bay. They passed several pristine white rooms before coming to a stop at a room at the end of the hall. Through the glass, Luke could see Vitrius propped up on the bed staring sightlessly at the wall in front of her.

"Is she… alright?" Luke asked the protocol droid.

"I am not a medical droid, sir," the droid said politely as it turned to leave.

Luke and Padmé stared at Vitrius through the window for a few moments. "She looks okay," Luke said tentatively. Padmé nodded absently, still clearly shaken from the traumatic experience from earlier that morning. "Come on," Luke said, taking her hand once again. "We should talk to her."

When Padmé remained still, Luke dragged her forward gently and pushed the door open. Vitrius didn't flinch when the door opened, making no indication that she saw them.

"Vitrius?" Luke said cautiously as he took a step into the room. "How are you?"

Startled, Vitrius spun her head to see him and Padmé looking at her from the door. "Luke," she said in a distant voice.

"Yes," Luke said, disquieted by her dazed expression. "How are you feeling?"

Vitrius didn't answer and instead looked away from him to Padmé. "Mother," she said in a small voice.

"Oh, Leia," Padmé said as she rushed forward and kneeled in front of Vitrius' bed. She took her hand with both of her own and kissed it.

"I–I'm so sorry," Vitrius said, her voice cracking.

"Don't be," Padmé cooed gently as fresh tears began to fall down her cheeks.

"I hurt you," Vitrius said in a strained voice.

"I'm alright," Padmé said. "I don't blame you."

"You're not… angry at me?"

"Of course not," Padmé insisted.

Vitrius frowned and looked away. "I… I don't understand," she said.

Padmé glanced up at Luke with a confused expression. "I forgive you, Leia. What don't you understand?"

Vitrius turned back to look at Padmé, staring into her concerned eyes silently for a few moments. "Forgiveness," she said finally. "Nobody has ever forgiven me before."

Padmé pursed her lips and looked down at Vitrius' hand. Luke shuffled his feet awkwardly a few feet away, feeling somewhat out of place. "Nobody has ever loved you before, Leia," Padmé said gently. "You can forgive a person no matter what as long as you love them."

"You… you love me?" Vitrius said with wide eyes.

"Of course I love you," Padmé said with a watery smile. "You're my child."

The two women looked at each other silently for a few moments as Luke waited patiently in the background. He wasn't entirely sure what was happening. Why was Vitrius apologizing? Padmé had said something about her lashing out. Had Vitrius hurt her? If so, why was Padmé so willing to forgive her?

"What happened after I passed out?" Padmé asked, rousing Luke from his musings.

"You passed out?" Luke asked, causing Padmé to spin around to face him, seemingly having forgotten that he was still there. "What happened?"

Padmé looked uncomfortable and glanced back at Vitrius briefly. "Leia was very angry when she found out," she said carefully. "She figured I had lied to her."

"But you didn't lie to her," Luke said. "Not really, at least."

"Regardless, she was angry," Padmé said, giving Luke a pointed look which he wasn't sure how to interpret. Was she irritated at him about something? "She's a very powerful woman, so I'm sure she didn't mean to do it."

"Do what?" Luke asked.

"I choked her," Vitrius said bluntly, perhaps sensing how unwilling Padmé was to divulge this information.

"You did what!?"

"I regret doing it," Vitrius said, unable to meet Luke's incredulous eyes. "He told me to do it."

"Vader?" Padmé asked.

Vitrius nodded and swallowed hard. "He was… he _is _angry at me. He didn't want me to trust you, so he told me to kill you."

Padmé held her hand over her mouth. "But you didn't listen to him," she said. "You didn't kill me."

"I could have," Vitrius said morosely. "I was this close to killing you just like how I killed Tarkin."

"But you didn't," Padmé said forcefully. "You don't have to listen to him anymore. He doesn't control you."

"I know, but…"

"But what?"

"He can hurt me," she said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Padmé asked fearfully.

"I have never disobeyed him so blatantly before," Vitrius said with a shudder. "When I defied him and didn't kill you, he unleashed his fury on me."

"That's why you were screaming?" Luke asked.

Vitrius nodded and closed her eyes tight. "He used to protect me," she said. "He would shield me from my master's punishments."

"But now that he's angry at you, he's punishing you himself," Luke said.

"You can't let him do that," Padmé said strongly. "You have to get rid of him."

Vitrius' lower lip began to tremble as she looked down and away from Luke and Padmé's probing eyes. "I can't," she said weakly. "I'm not strong enough."

"Of course you are!" Padmé insisted.

"I am a slave," Vitrius said ominously as she held her head with her hands and began to tremble. "I am a slave to the darkness."

Padmé stood up and looked at Luke with a horrified expression. Unsure how to respond to this proclamation, Luke put his hand over his mouth and watched his sister dissolve into tears. Crying as well, Padmé sat down on the bed and hugged Vitrius' quaking form. "We're here for you now," she said in a shaky voice. "I've got you."

Deciding that it would be best for him to give them some space, Luke quietly slipped out of the room. Closing the door behind him as softly as he could, Luke turned to walk down the hallway toward the exit. Passing though the sliding doors, he saw that Obi-Wan was still waiting outside.

When he saw Luke approaching, Obi-Wan stopped pacing and placed his hands behind his back. "Well? How is she?" he asked.

"Physically, she's fine," Luke said, coming to a stop in front of the Jedi.

"So there's nothing wrong with her?" Obi-Wan asked.

Luke shook his head and looked down at his feet for a moment. "She's a complete mess," Luke said frankly. "She thinks that Vader is punishing her for not killing Mother."

Obi-Wan stroked his chin and inclined his head. "Curious," he said. "Very curious."

"What do you mean?"

"I think you may be right, Luke," he said.

"How so?"

"Vader lives," Obi-Wan said. "I don't know how, but somehow he still lives."

"What makes you say that now?" Luke asked.

Obi-Wan blinked a few times as he stared behind Luke toward the hospital doors. "Vader could not be inflicting pain on her if he was dead," he said in a distant voice. "Perhaps…"

"Perhaps what?"

Obi-Wan didn't answer him, however, as he was too deep in thought to register the question. "May I see her?" he asked finally.

Luke grimaced and shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea right now," he said.

"I understand," Obi-Wan said, backing away. "You should return to them."

"Thanks for understanding," Luke said as he too backed away. Turning away, Luke hurried back towards Vitrius' room. When he returned, he saw that Vitrius had stopped crying and was talking with Padmé who was now seated in a chair next to her.

"So is Leia my real name?" he heard her ask as he walked back into the room.

"It's what I named you. Leia Amidala Skywalker is your full name," Padmé said, glancing up to see him close the door behind him. "You don't have to go by it, of course, but –"

"No, I love it," Vitrius interrupted. "I just have to get used to it, that's all." She smiled faintly and looked down. "Leia," she said, sounding out her true name for the first time. "That's what the other voice calls me, you know."

"The other voice?" Luke said. "What other voice?"

"I think it's Anakin," Padmé said. "Somehow both of his personas exist inside her mind. Vader and Anakin."

"So Vader used to be Anakin?" Leia asked confusedly.

"Anakin was a Jedi Knight before he turned to dark side," Padmé explained. "He assumed the name Darth Vader when he became Palpatine's apprentice," she added bitterly.

"So if they're the same person, how come there are two different voices talking to me?"

"I have no idea," Padmé said. "Do you really think they're real?"

"They seem real," Leia said with a frown.

"Obi-Wan thinks they're real," Luke interjected. Luke hesitated when Leia flinched at Obi-Wan's name.

"Sorry," she mumbled, noticing Luke's concern at her visceral reaction. "It's a bad habit." She suddenly winced and fell back into the pillows, her body stiff.

"Leia?" Padmé asked, standing up quickly. "What's wrong."

"Nothing," Leia said through gritted teeth as she propped herself back up. "I'm fine."

Unconvinced, Padmé took another step forward and put her hand on Leia's forehead. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yes," Leia said a little tartly. "What did Kenobi say?" she asked to Luke.

Luke glanced at Padmé who still seemed worried before answering. "He used to think that the voices were just figments of your imagination," he said. "But now he doesn't think so. He thinks that Vader is alive somehow in your mind."

Leia considered this with a frown. "Then I have to kill him," she said determinedly, accompanied by a hardly detectable grimace.

"What?" Padmé said incredulously, evidently oblivious to Leia's subtle expression of pain.

"Do you object?" Leia asked stiffly.

"I… well, no, but –"

"Do you love him?"

"Huh?" Padmé said, clearly caught off guard.

"Why else would you object to me killing him?"

"No, it's just…" Padmé trailed off and looked at Luke for help.

"How would you even kill him?" Luke asked, deflecting the conversation on his mother's behalf.

"I don't know," Leia said, looking away from Padmé. "Without killing myself, that is."

"Leia!" Padmé exclaimed. "Don't say that!"

"I'm not going to do it," Leia said. "It's purely hypothetical. I suspect he's somehow latched onto my mind Force presence somehow so I would have to dissociate myself from him in order to kill him."

"Force presence? What's that?" Luke asked.

"Kenobi hasn't taught you about that yet? How underwhelming."

"I literally started training two days ago!" Luke retorted indignantly.

"Has he told you about the Force at least?" Leia asked.

"Of course he has!"

"Well then you know that the Force penetrates and permeates all living beings. Conversely, all living beings emanate energy which can be discerned through the Force." Luke nodded slowly, determined to not appear as confused as he really was. "That emanation is a person's Force presence. It is like a signature which you can use to identify someone through the Force."

"So you can locate people through the Force?" Luke asked.

"If you are sophisticated enough, yes," Leia said. "But a person's Force presence is far more revealing than that. You can learn everything and anything about a person through their Force presence. For example, from your Force presence I can tell that you are ambivalent about me."

"Ambivalent? What is that supposed to mean?"

"You are afraid of me, on the one hand. You think I am dangerous and unhinged. Yet on the other hand you are amazed by my powers and wish to learn them yourself."

"What? No… I… that's not true," Luke sputtered, amazed by the accuracy of her assessment.

"You cannot hide your true feelings from the Force," Leia said. "It is the medium through which all emotions traverse."

"So you think Vader has somehow attached himself to your Force presence?" Luke asked.

"It's possible," Leia said. "I wouldn't know because you can't look at your own Force presence. Besides, it would be virtually indistinguishable from my own anyway so it might be impossible to detect."

"Why do you say that?"

"The dark side consumes you," she said in a low voice. "It obfuscates all sense of individuality and completely shadows your personality. Vader and I are too far gone to differentiate between us. We are enveloped by darkness."

"That's not true, Leia!" Padmé exclaimed. "There's so much more to you than darkness!"

"Like what?" Leia asked. "I tried to kill my own mother! I'm a monster!"

"I don't believe that in the slightest," Padmé said stubbornly.

"You don't want to believe it, but it's the truth."

"It is not! You think you know everything because you can use the Force, but I'm your mother and I know better! I know that my daughter is a good person!" Leia shook her head but didn't offer a rebuttal. Padmé frowned and exhaled sharply. "For nineteen years, not a day went by when I didn't think about you and Luke," she said. "Now that I finally have you back, I'm not going to let you slip away from me. I don't care if you're a monster, Leia. You're my monster, and I will do anything in my power to save you."

"There's nothing to save," Leia said bitterly.

"Stop that!" Padmé said fiercely. "I won't let you give up on yourself!"

Leia turned and gave Padmé an amused look. "That's funny," she said. "All Sidious ever wanted from me was for me to give up. He tried to force me to be his obedient slave."

"You don't have to submit to him anymore," Luke said. "You're free now, Leia."

"Free," Leia repeated, enunciating the word strangely as if it were from a foreign tongue. "I'm not sure I even understand what that means."

* * *

Leia was released from the medbay a few hours later as the medical droids couldn't find any reason to keep her there. Luke suppressed a grin as he watched his sister fight off Padmé who was incessantly fussing over her. "I'm fine!" she insisted irritably. "You don't have to watch my every move, you know."

"But what if it happens again?" Padmé asked nervously. "I don't want you to be alone!"

"It won't happen again," Leia said definitively.

"You don't know that!"

"I'll be fine… Mom."

Padmé shut up abruptly when Leia called her that. "Alright," she said softly with a smile. "If you insist." Leia stared at Padmé for a second, her cheeks tinged red. Clearing her throat, she looked away. "I'll leave you be then," Padmé said a bit wistfully. "Luke, are you coming?"

"You go ahead. I want to ask Leia something," he said.

Padmé arched an eyebrow yet nevertheless obliged, turning around and leaving Leia's room. Leia gave him a strange look when she had left. "What do you want?" she asked a bit sharply.

"I want you to train me," he said, getting straight to the point.

Leia inclined her head, clearly surprised by this request. "What about Kenobi?" she asked with a hint of bitterness.

"Why can't you both train me?" he asked.

"It doesn't work that way, Skywalker," she said sternly. Luke raised his eyebrows at her brusqueness. "I'm sorry," she said, closing her eyes. "That was rude of me."

"It's alright," Luke said quickly. "I know it's hard to adjust. I can relate. I only just met Mom two days ago, after all."

Leia nodded and gave Luke a curious look. "How do you do it?" she asked suddenly.

"Do what?"

"Adjust so easily."

"I don't understand," Luke said with a frown.

"You met her two days ago and yet it's so clear that you're her son," Leia explained. "You love her as if you've known her your whole life."

"I don't know," Luke said with a shrug. "She's my mother. I guess it comes naturally."

"Not to me," Leia said with a huff. "I just feel so awkward."

"That's okay," Luke said reassuringly. "You'll get the hang of it with time. I can tell that you love her too."

"What are you talking about?" Leia asked sharply.

"Oh come on. You broke down in tears because you felt so guilty about hurting her. You wouldn't have done that if you didn't love her."

Leia looked away and blinked a few times, as if stunned by this assessment. "I… love her," she said, the words once again sounding funny as if she had never used them before. "Is that what love is?"

"Love isn't something you can explain easily," Luke told her. "It might mean something totally different to you than it does to me."

"I used to think that my father loved me," Leia said.

"If he hurt you like that, then he didn't love you," Luke said definitively. "You don't hurt people you love."

"But I did," Leia said. "I hurt Ami… I mean, Mother."

"That's different."

"No, it isn't," Leia insisted. "I'm no different from him."

"Sure you are."

"Luke, you barely even know me. What have I ever done which would make you think that I'm anything but a monster?"

"I don't know why, but I just do," Luke said. "I can tell that deep down you're a good person."

"Ugh," Leia said, rolling her eyes. "You sound just like her."

"It's almost as if we're related or something," Luke said cheekily. Luke felt his heart soar when Leia smiled at his joke, albeit very faintly as if she wasn't familiar with the motion. "So, will you train me?" Luke asked again, hoping that he had gotten through to her.

Leia's smile faded into a frown once again. "A student cannot have any more than one master," she said.

"Then let's break with tradition," Luke suggested. "Besides, I'm not calling my sister 'Master.'"

"That would be weird, wouldn't it?" Leia said. "Alright, I'll do it. But only on the condition that I be your primary teacher. Kenobi can assist, but ultimately my instructions are final and you will follow my rules if they contradict with Kenobi's."

Luke considered this for a moment before nodding. "Okay, that sounds fair," he said. "But Ben won't be pleased."

"Ben?"

"Sorry, Obi-Wan," Luke corrected.

"Well I don't give a damn," Leia said. "He killed my…he killed _our _father. Even if he was a worthless sack of shit, I'll never forgive Kenobi for doing that."

Luke swallowed nervously and nodded weakly, deciding it best not to contradict her. "He couldn't have always been worthless," he said instead. "Our father, I mean."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, Mother loved him at some point."

"So?"

"He must have been a good person at some point. Otherwise she wouldn't have married him."

"Or he deceived her," Leia countered. "Maybe she didn't realize who he really was until it was too late."

"Are you always so cynical?"

"Cynicism is crucial to survival, Luke," Leia said importantly. "Let that be your first lesson in your apprentice-hood."

"First off, I'm not your apprentice," Luke said, holding up a finger. "And second, cynicism is debilitating, not empowering."

"I didn't say it was empowering," Leia said. "I said it was necessary."

"Well I disagree."

"Too bad, I'm the master here." Leia frowned when Luke laughed at her. "Why are you doing that?" she asked, bewildered.

"I'm sorry, I just thought it was funny," Luke said quickly, realizing that Leia probably wasn't used to being laughed at.

"There's nothing funny about this," she said sternly. Luke rolled his eyes and stifled another laugh.

"Whatever you say, _Master,_" he said sassily.

"I though you weren't going to call me that," Leia said.

"Wow, you really are dense," Luke said before he could stop himself. "It's called sarcasm, sis."

Leia stared at him with a mixture of bewilderment and indignation etched on her face. "You know what, never mind," Luke said. "We'll work on human interaction later."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Leia asked indignantly.

"Look, I know you're smart and all, but I literally just had to explain the concepts of love and sarcasm to you."

"I had a very sheltered childhood!" Leia exclaimed. "Sidious wouldn't let me talk to anyone but himself."

"I'm not making fun of you," Luke said hastily. "I'm just saying that your social skills are a bit lacking, that's all." Leia frowned at him but didn't object to this statement. "Look, how about in exchange for you teaching me about the Force, I'll teach you about social etiquette and stuff."

"Social etiquette?"

"You know, how to interact with people."

Leia blinked a few times, and Luke feared that he had perhaps crossed a line. Yet when she spoke, she didn't sound offended. "Okay," she said a little sheepishly. "That sounds like a deal."

Luke smiled broadly at her and she did her best to reciprocate the gesture. Her tentative smile cracked into a grimace, however, and she stumbled back a step, placing her hand on the bed to stabilize herself.

"Leia? What's wrong?" Luke asked, reaching out and placing a hand on her good shoulder to prevent her from falling.

"Nothing," she said tersely, shaking off Luke's hand. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not," Luke said. "You don't have to lie to me, Leia." When Leia didn't say anything, Luke crossed his arms irritably. "Mom and I can tell you're still in pain," he said. "What's the point in pretending like you're not?"

"It's instinctive," Leia said with a sigh. "All my life, I've hidden pain so that Sidious wouldn't get the satisfaction."

"Would he torture you?" Luke asked quietly.

Leia nodded and looked down, appearing very small all of a sudden. "It is a fundamental element of Sith training," she said in a voice barely louder than a whisper. "Pain is supposed to make you stronger."

"That's horrible!" Luke said.

Leia shrugged, but he could see that her eyes were shining with tears. "I learned to deal with it," she said.

"Well you shouldn't have to hide anymore," Luke told her. "It's okay to show vulnerability." Leia nodded, but he could tell that she didn't agree with this sentiment. "Is it Vader? Is he hurting you still?"

Leia looked up at him and nodded once again. "He's angry," she said. "He's telling me to kill you right now." Luke's eyes widened and he took an involuntary step back. "I'm not going to do it," Leia said. "That's why he's hurting me."

"You can't stop him?" Luke asked, horrified.

"No, but I can fight him," she said. "He caught me off guard the first time, but now I know how to resist him."

"But doesn't it hurt?"

"My life is pain," she said darkly. "This is no different than how it has always been."

* * *

While he was still worried for her, Luke left Leia alone and went off toward his mother's room. He hesitated before knocking the door, however. Ultimately, he decided against bothering her. She had had a traumatic day. He could fill her in on his conversation with Leia sometime later. Instead, he turned around and went walking off toward the hangar.

Deep in thought, Luke barely registered Han and Chewbacca who were doing some kind of repairs on the surface of the Falcon. "Hey, kid!" Han called out. "How's Vitrius?"

Luke looked up and blinked a few times. "Her name is Leia," he said.

"What?" Han said.

Luke shook his head and looked down. He didn't feel like talking to Han right now. He needed some alone time. Luke therefore ignored Han's inquiries as he made his way up the on ramp and into the Falcon. Once inside he took a deep breath and took a right toward the main hold.

Luke felt frustrated, helpless, and above all angry. His sister was in a state of perpetual pain and there was nothing he could do to help her. She was waging a war against her own mind all by herself! How could he just sit by her side and watch her go through agony without doing anything?

Picking up the remote from the corner of the room, Luke activated it and grabbed his lightsaber. He didn't bother to put on the helmet as he wasn't feeling up to it. He just needed something to do with himself so that he didn't go crazy. Activating his lightsaber, Luke waited for the remote to open fire at him.

After nearly fifteen seconds the remote finally came to life. Luke deflected the first bolt that came at him with a sharp swipe upwards.

_He can hurt me_

Luke deflected the next bolt only barely as he had to slice downwards to protect his legs. The remote gave him no time to recover and fired again, and Luke was forced to duck rather than deflect it with his lightsaber.

_I'm not strong enough_

Luke was beginning to panic as the remote fired bolt after bolt at him with no delay in between. His lightsaber flashed before him wildly in a desperate attempt to protect himself.

_I am a slave to the darkness_

Anger began to course through his veins as he began to fight back against the remote. Singe marks coated his arms, yet he kept going, deflecting bolt after bolt with a fiery tenacity he had never known he was capable of.

_My life is pain_

Luke felt his limbs begin to protest with the prolonged exercise. The remote was overwhelming him, firing bolt after bolt, yet he refused to be defeated. He refused to be helpless! Without knowing what he was doing, Luke approached the remote, absorbing countless bolts as he did so. His entire body was numb with pain, but he paid it no heed. Screaming out, he sliced down and cut the remote in half, ending the onslaught.

Breathing heavily, Luke dropped his lightsaber and fell to his knees. As the adrenaline wore off, Luke could feel his entire body protesting angrily. Collapsing into a fetal position, Luke began to sob – not because of the pain, but because of how helpless he felt. He hated Vader so much! He wanted to be able to do something, anything to help Leia, but there was nothing he could do. Vader was torturing her. Luke could hardly imagine how horrible it must be for her.

After a few minutes, Luke recomposed himself and got to his feet, his legs wobbling precariously as he did so. Wiping his eyes, Luke looked down at the charred remains of the remote. He felt like an idiot. Only now did he realize that the remote had still been set on the max setting. No wonder he hadn't been able to withstand the onslaught.

"Oh my."

Luke spun around to see Obi-Wan standing in the entrance to the main hold, his eyes fixated on the mutilated remote at Luke's feet.

"What happened?"

"I got angry," Luke mumbled, looking back down at the remote. "It was dumb of me."

"You got angry?" Obi-Wan repeated. "And you decided to take it out on the remote?" Luke nodded his head and looked away, feeling embarrassed. "You mustn't give in to your emotions, Luke," Obi-Wan told him. "Anger can lead to the dark side."

"What's wrong with that?" Luke asked.

Obi-Wan tilted his head and frowned. "Have you been talking to Vitrius?" he asked.

"Her name is Leia," Luke said once again. "And yes, I have."

"You shouldn't listen to her, Luke," Obi-Wan said urgently. "You cannot trust her."

"She's my sister!" Luke said indignantly.

"I don't see why that should matter."

Luke gaped at him silently for a moment, hardly believing that Obi-Wan had really just said that. "You don't think that matters?" Luke said incredulously. "How can you say that?"

"Don't let your feelings interfere with your decision making," Obi-Wan told him, seemingly undeterred by Luke's flabbergasted expression. "She may be your sister, but that doesn't mean that you should trust her implicitly."

"I don't trust her implicitly! But I'm not going to close my ears whenever she speaks, either!"

"I'm not saying you should."

"Yes you are!" Luke exclaimed loudly. "You don't want me listening to her at all!"

"I didn't say that, I simply want to –"

"I asked her to train me," Luke blurted out. Obi-Wan's mouth fell open in shock and he was rendered completely speechless. "She said yes," Luke added, feeling triumphant at Obi-Wan's stunned reaction.

"Luke, I told you –"

"And I decided not to listen to you," Luke interrupted.

"But she's a Sith Lord!"

"So?"

"So?" Obi-Wan repeated, aghast. "I cannot believe you did that."

"Why not?" Luke asked challengingly. "You barely even know me, Ben!"

"I would have thought you would have some semblance of rationality. Some inkling of logic!" Obi-Wan said. Luke crossed his arms and glared at Obi-Wan silently, his perception of the old Jedi morphing rapidly. Obi-Wan calmed himself by taking a deep breath before speaking. "I apologize for speaking ill of your sister, Luke, but I assure you that you are making a mistake."

"Why?" Luke asked. "You've never told me anything about the dark side. What's so bad about it?"

"The dark side is a perversion of the Force!" Obi-Wan cried. "It is the manifestation of evil and cruelty!"

"Leia isn't evil," Luke said.

"Do you really believe that?" Obi-Wan asked incredulously.

"Yes, I do."

Obi-Wan sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "She is the most powerful dark side wielder I have ever encountered. She is enveloped in darkness. I am sorry, but there is nothing else left of her. She is a black hole."

"I understand why you think that Obi-Wan, but I disagree," Luke said as cordially as he could. "And I would appreciate it if you stopped denigrating her."

Obi-Wan pursed his lips and shook his head. "I can't allow this," he said. "Too much is at stake."

"I'm not going to become a Sith," Luke said, although he didn't really know what that meant. "I just want her to teach me, that's all."

"But she's a Sith!" Obi-Wan exclaimed, gesticulating wildly with his arms. "She will train you in the Dark Arts!"

"Not necessarily," Luke said.

"It's all she knows! She doesn't know anything but the dark side!"

"Again, I disagree with you."

Obi-Wan threw his hands in the air and spun around. "Why do Skywalkers have to be so difficult?" he asked himself.

"Why are you so unwilling to acknowledge that there might be something more to Leia?"

Obi-Wan put his hands on his hips and sagged a bit, his back still facing Luke. "I can sense the darkness within her," he said. "Nothing could penetrate that level of evil. Nothing."

"I can," Luke said.

Obi-Wan turned around and gave him a strange look. "What?" he asked.

"I can save her," Luke said confidently. "And so can Mom. We love her, and she loves us, although she doesn't know it yet."

Obi-Wan blinked a few times before turning around to face him directly. "Do you really believe that?" he asked.

"Absolutely," Luke said. "She trusts me, perhaps more than she has ever trusted anyone else before. That's why I asked her to train me. Not because I don't respect you, Obi-Wan, but because I know she will thaw with time. If she's going to turn, she needs to feel like she has a purpose, and by training me, I will give her that purpose."

Obi-Wan considered Luke for a brief moment. "I have to go," he said suddenly.

"Go? What are you talking about?"

"I must consult with an old friend," he said vaguely.

"Do you agree with me?" Luke asked.

"I'm not sure," Obi-Wan said, his eyes distant and out of focus as he contemplated something. "But I will return soon enough."

"But where are you going?"

"Not far," Obi-Wan said cryptically.

"But –"

"Do not give into your anger, Luke," Obi-Wan said, gesturing to the charred remains of the remote on the floor. "Do not let her corrupt you while I'm gone."

"Ben –"

But Obi-Wan wasn't listening. Turning around, he scurried out of the main hold leaving a bewildered and frustrated Luke in his wake.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Breathe."

"I am breathing!" Luke said irritably.

"Just relax," Leia said impatiently. "Take a moment then try again."

A week had passed since Obi-Wan had left and Luke was beginning to have second thoughts about being so abrupt with him. It wasn't that Leia was a bad teacher, it was just that he felt much more at ease when Obi-Wan was the one giving him guidance and instruction. Leia had never taught anyone before, and this combined with her generally brusque demeanor made her a somewhat unpleasant mentor.

Nonetheless, Luke wouldn't go so far as to think that he had made a mistake by asking Leia to be his primary teacher. She believed in his abilities far more so than Obi-Wan did, perhaps to a fault. That was why he was standing in the middle of a dark room desperately trying to levitate his own lightsaber despite the fact that Obi-Wan had told him that it would take months before he would be ready to use the Force to move objects. When he had told Leia this, she had scoffed at him and insisted that Obi-Wan was being far too conservative. She insisted that since he was her brother, he wouldn't have any trouble using the Force. Theoretically, he should be just as powerful as she was, albeit with far less experience.

Therefore he felt immensely frustrated when the lightsaber didn't so much as jiggle as he held his hand out towards it. The weapon was taunting him by remaining entirely stationary. Luke's whole arm began to shake with the vain effort to lift the lightsaber. After nearly two minutes, Luke dropped his arm and gave a huff of frustration.

"I can't do it," he complained, turning to look at Leia who was watching him from the corner of the room.

"Yes, you can," Leia said dismissively. "Try again."

"Nothing is going to change! I can't do it!" he yelled, feeling doubly frustrated by his own incompetence and by Leia's lack of sympathy.

"You're not focused," Leia said. "Your mind is wandering."

"No it isn't!" Luke retorted indignantly.

"Try again," Leia ordered once more.

"I don't even know what I'm supposed to do," Luke complained.

"I've told you," Leia said with a hint of irritation. "You must concentrate on the Force."

"Then what?"

"Bend it to your will. Use it to call the lightsaber to you," she said as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "Just like this." Without even looking at the lightsaber, she held up her hand casually and sent it flying through the air and grabbed it.

"You make it look so easy," Luke whined.

"That's because it is easy," Leia said as she tossed the lightsaber back across the room.

"Hey!" Luke exclaimed. Just as the lightsaber was about to fall to the ground, however, the hilt came to a stop in midair. Luke watched in awe as his weapon spun a bit as it dangled in the air half a foot above the floor. Luke turned back to Leia, his eyes wide with wonderment.

"You thought I was just going to throw your lightsaber?" she asked. To his left, he heard the lightsaber finally fall to the ground with a soft tap.

"I wouldn't put it past you," Luke said.

"Your lightsaber is your most crucial possession," Leia informed him. "Don't do anything that could jeopardize it."

"Like throw it across the room?"

Leia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Give it another shot," she said, gesturing to the lightsaber. "I know you can do it. You just need to believe in yourself."

Luke sighed exasperatedly but he couldn't deny that he felt a warm fuzzy feeling when she told him that. Despite all flaws in Leia's training methods, he did ultimately enjoy his training sessions with her because while she could be blunt and insensitive, she always made him feel capable. Obi-Wan and his mother never treated him that way. They both saw him as a child. Leia was the only one who really respected him.

Nonetheless, he was still feeling frustrated. As he turned back to the lightsaber, he held out his hand to no avail once more. His spirits soared suddenly when the lightsaber seemed to inch toward him for a second, but Luke convinced himself that he must have been mistaken when it made no further movement. After forty-five seconds, Luke gave up for good this time and dropped his arm to his side.

"Luke! What are you doing?" Luke ignored her, however, and spun around and marched towards the exit. "Luke! Come back!"

Feeling frustrated beyond measure, Luke pushed the door open forcefully and stormed down the hallway away from Leia. He felt like a colossal failure. He had been at this for three whole days now, and he hadn't made any progress whatsoever. What if Leia was mistaken? What if he wasn't even Force sensitive at all? What if –

"Luke, get back here now!"

Luke stopped walking and turned around to see Leia approaching. He hadn't expected her to follow him. Why couldn't he just storm out with grace? Couldn't she see that he needed a rest?

"I don't want to," Luke said defiantly, although internally he was quaking at the sight of his sister barreling down the hallway toward him.

"I won't let you give up," she said, stopping a few feet in front of him.

"I'm not giving up," he said, backing away from her. "I just need a break that's all."

"Luke –"

"Look, I'll try again tomorrow."

"Please, don't leave."

Luke paused and titled his head. She sounded almost… desperate. As if he was hurting her somehow by leaving. "Leia, is something wrong?" he asked.

Leia closed her eyes and exhaled loudly. "I… I'm just…"

"Yes?" Luke prompted her.

"Oh, never mind," she said, spinning around with a huff and marching away from him. Luke watched her leave with a frown. What had just happened? Why was she acting so strange? He had noticed that she had been very clingy over the past week, but he had just assumed that she had latched onto him because she felt nervous on the big base surrounded by strangers. Strangers who until very recently had been her mortal enemies. Fortunately, none of the Rebels except for Mothma knew who Leia was, but she no doubt must have been feeling uncomfortable.

But now that he thought about it, this didn't really make much sense. Of course he hadn't known her for long, but Leia didn't seem like the type of person to rely heavily on someone else. Sure, they were very close, remarkably close for two people who had only met each other a little over a week ago, but even still Leia's seemingly incessant need to be near him was odd.

Luke was still considering his sister's strange behavior later that afternoon as he sat down next to his mother in the mess hall. He was so deep in thought that he barely registered the conversation his mother was having with Mothma who was seated across from them.

He picked up his fork and gave the orange paste on his plate a scowl. He knew he should be grateful that they had any sort of food on Hoth, but it was a little disconcerting that he couldn't identify the substance which he was eating. The color implied it was a sort of carrot puree, but the flavor was decidedly non-carrot-like. Poking it cautiously with his fork, Luke was about to force himself to take another bite when he saw Mothma stiffen and look up from Padmé. Curious, Luke dropped his fork and looked around him to see what had caused such a visceral reaction from the normally stoic senator.

Across the spacious mess hall, Luke saw Leia striding toward them. Luke pursed his lips nervously when he saw that she seemed to be even more tense than usual. Her jaw was clenched angrily and her hands were balled into fists at her sides. He could understand why Mothma had reacted so strongly. Leia was downright frightening.

"Leia, how nice of you to join us," Padmé said when she too turned around to see Leia approaching. Padmé frowned when she noticed Leia's distressed demeanor. "What's wrong, honey?"

"Do you mind if I sit next to Luke?" she asked in a strained voice. Padmé frowned and looked at Luke, clearly confused by the request.

"Um… sure," she said. Padmé stood up and allowed Leia to sit next to Luke. She hovered over Leia for a brief moment before walking around the table to sit next to Mothma who was watching this encounter with a confused expression.

Luke felt Leia's whole body unclench when she sat next to him. With a deep sigh, she closed her eyes and put her elbows on the table. Luke glanced at Padmé who looked as equally bewildered as he was. What was going on?

"Leia, are you sure you're alright?" Padmé ventured cautiously.

"I'm much better now," she said. Padmé continued to stare back at Leia with a concerned look for a few moments before turning to Mothma to resume their conversation. Luke was just about to go back to probing his perturbing dinner when Leia suddenly leaned against his shoulder. Surprised, Luke dropped his fork again and instinctively scooted away.

"Leia, what is going on?" he asked when she sat back upright and gave him a quizzical look as if he had been the one in the wrong. Padmé and Mothma stopped talking abruptly and turned to look at them.

"What's wrong?" she asked innocently.

"What's wrong?" Luke repeated incredulously. "Leia, you're acting really weird."

"How so?"

Luke gaped at her for a second before turning to Padmé for support. "Why do you need to sit next to your brother, Leia?" she asked.

"Is there a problem with that?"

"No, but –"

"You've been clinging to me like crazy the past few days," Luke interrupted. "What's going on with you?"

"I'll give you some space," Mothma muttered and stood up. "I'll see you at the meeting at eighteen hundred hours, Padmé." Leia watched her leave before answering.

"Clinging?" she asked, clearly unfamiliar with the term.

"You hardly ever let me leave your sight."

"So?"

"It's weird, Leia!"

Leia looked away and bit her lower lip. "You don't… like being with me?"

"I didn't say that –"

"I understand," Leia said, standing up suddenly. "You're afraid of me."

"No I'm not!"

"You think I'm a psycho."

"What? Of course not!" Leia shook her head angrily and marched away. "Leia, come back!" he called after her. Everyone in the mess hall turned to look at him, and Luke felt himself grow red with embarrassment. Why did she have to make a scene like that? Why did she have to be so dramatic?

"We should go after her," Padmé said.

"I don't want to," Luke grumbled, turning back in his seat to hide his face from the curious bystanders. "I just want to be alone, is that so much to ask?"

"Can't you see that something is wrong?"

Luke shook his head and looked down determinedly at his plate. "She's never had a friend before, and now that she has me she won't give me any space. It's suffocating!"

"Do you really think that she would be the type to cling to you like she has?" Padmé asked.

"I don't know, we barely know each other!"

"Something else is wrong, Luke. This isn't just some sort of bizarre infatuation."

"Infatuation?" Luke repeated, making a face. "She's my sister, Mom!"

"I didn't mean in a romantic sense," Padmé said with a wave of her hand. "And besides, I _don't_ think that's what's happening. I think there is a concrete, physical reason why she doesn't want to be without you."

"What do you mean?"

"Did you see her when she arrived? She was all pale and shaky. The second she sat down next to you she seemed to relax and be put at ease. It's as if your presence has a soothing effect on her."

Luke looked to his right to where Leia had been seated a few moments prior as he considered this theory. Suddenly, everything seemed to make a lot more sense. Luke knew that Vader was still hurting her, although he hadn't divulged that secret to Padmé on Leia's request. She hadn't wanted Padmé to worry about her, so Luke had obliged reluctantly. Was it possible that his physical proximity helped shield her from Vader's wrath? He couldn't understand why that might be, but it did explain her strange attitude and clinginess. Maybe she didn't even realize she was doing it.

"I have an idea," Luke said, looking up from the bench to look his mother in the eye. "Although I don't really understand it."

"What is it?"

"Come on, I'll tell you on the way." They both stood up and walked together in the direction where Leia had gone. Luke felt a few eyes on him as they made their way out of the mess hall, but he was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to pay much attention to it. As they walked towards Leia's room where they suspected she had gone off to, Luke filled Padmé in on his theory.

"I knew she was still in pain," Padmé said when Luke had finished. "You should have told me, Luke."

"I'm sorry, but she asked me not to."

"I'm her mother, I deserve to know!"

"I know, but I want her to be able to trust me," Luke said. "I told Obi-Wan that I would be able to save her as long as she trusted me."

Padmé looked far from satisfied with this answer, but she didn't offer a retort as they had reached Leia's room. Luke knocked on the door. "Leia, open up! We want to talk to you."

"Go away!"

"Leia, please open up," Padmé pleaded.

"I don't want to talk to you!"

Her voice didn't sound distant and muffled, but instead it was loud and clear. With a start, Luke realized that she must have pressed her body against the door in an effort to get near him without having to open the door. "Leia, open this door or I'm going to leave," he said.

"Luke, that's not the best negotiating tactic," Padmé said, barely suppressing a smirk. "She wants us to leave."

"No, she doesn't," Luke said, taking a step away from the door. "We want to help you, Leia," he said, taking another step back. "Don't push us away." Luke heard a strange whimper from behind the door accompanied by a loud bang as Leia must have punched the door in frustration. Luke took one final step back until his back was flat against the opposite wall.

"I HATE YOU!"

The door flew open violently causing Padmé to yelp and jump away. Luke's eyes widened in fear as Leia leaped out of the room and barreled towards him. Afraid for his life, Luke tried to avoid her but she was too fast for him. She collided into his chest and dug her nails painfully into his shoulders in a desperate attempt to get as close to him as possible. Realizing that she wasn't going to kill him, Luke sighed in relief and embraced her.

"He can't hurt you now," Luke said in a faint voice as Leia clutched him fiercely, expelling all of the oxygen from his lungs in the process. "I've got you."

Leia took a few shaky breaths and loosened her grip on him ever so slightly, allowing Luke to breathe. He could feel her whole body trembling against his. "It's so painful," she said in a trembling voice. "Whenever you're not around, he hurts me."

"You should have told me," Luke told her. "You can confide in me, Leia." Leia nodded her head and squeezed him a bit tighter before finally releasing him.

"Could someone please explain to me what's happening?" Luke looked away from Leia to see his mother giving them an incredulous look. "Why is it that Leia is in pain whenever you're not near her?"

"I don't know," Luke said, glancing at Leia who looked equally as baffled as he was. Suddenly, an idea hit him. "Could it have something to do with our Force signatures?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Leia asked a bit shakily.

"You said that Vader's Force presence is linked to your own," Luke said slowly as he thought of how to verbalize his half-baked theory. "What if… what if you and I also are connected through the Force and somehow our connection helps shield you from Vader? Maybe whenever we are together, he is unable to penetrate our bond and that keeps you protected from him."

Leia looked down for a moment as she considered this. "I've never heard of such things," she said. "But it does make some sense. We are deeply intertwined through the Force, after all."

"You know that?" Luke asked.

"From the moment I saw you I knew we were connected," Leia told him. "I just didn't know why." Leia paused and rubbed the back of her neck for a moment. "You are a ray of pure light amidst the darkness," she said dramatically.

"Um… thank you?" Luke said, bewildered yet nonetheless pleased by this unexpected compliment.

"Your Force presence keeps Vader at bay," she said. "His darkness cannot affect me when you are with me."

"So that means he won't be able to hurt you!" Luke exclaimed excitedly, thrilled beyond measure that he had found a way to help her. "You don't have to suffer anymore!"

"You can't hold my hand for your whole life, Luke," Leia said, causing Luke's joyous smile to fade.

"Surely you won't need me all the time," Luke said. "He isn't trying to hurt you all the time, is he?"

Leia looked away and said in a small voice "No, not all the time." Luke could tell at once that she was lying.

"Leia, tell us the truth," he said. "You don't need to lie to me. Is he… is he _always_ trying to hurt you?"

Leia's eyes began to fill with tears as she nodded. "Ever since last week," she said, clutching her arms as tears began to slide down her cheeks. "He's waged war on me and will not cease until I pledge myself back to him."

"Even when you sleep?" Luke asked, aghast.

"I don't sleep," she said weepily. "I can't anymore."

Padmé rushed forward and hugged Leia who had fully dissolved into tears. Luke watched with a dazed expression, feeling utterly horrible. She had been in constant pain for the past week yet had refused to tell him. Did that mean she didn't trust him? Or was it because she was so used to dealing with pain by herself that she didn't feel it necessary to tell him about it? Either way, Luke felt terrible that it had taken him this long to realize the extent of Leia's torment.

Luke stepped forward and put his arms around his mother and sister, the two people whom he loved more than anything else in the galaxy. "We're going to fight him," he whispered to Leia, placing his chin on the top of her head. "We're not going to let him win."

* * *

Later that afternoon, Padmé was staring off into space as she sat at the circular table in the conference room. Mothma had called for all the leaders of the Rebellion to convene on Hoth to discuss their future operations. Padmé couldn't imagine she would be able to contribute much, however. Her mind was fixated on Leia. She wanted to be with her. It was little conciliation that Luke was by her side now and she was no longer in pain. What she had been forced to endure for the past week was unimaginable, and Padmé felt horrible that she hadn't been able to diagnose the problem earlier.

She also felt irrationally bitter that Luke was the one she needed and not her. Luke had told her that Leia felt uncomfortable around her and he had asked her to give it time. Soon, Leia would learn to appreciate and love her, Luke had insisted. Yet she was hurt nonetheless. Leia had no such discomfort around Luke, whom she absolutely adored. While Padmé could appreciate that Leia needed to be around Luke for some convoluted Force-related reason, she nevertheless felt inadequate and left out.

"Padmé?"

She looked up quickly and inhaled sharply in pleasant surprise. Standing over her was the looming figure of Bail Organa, who had been her close friend and unequivocal supporter for over twenty years. His marred face was a testament to his devotion to her. When Palpatine had arrived on Polis Massa nineteen years ago, Obi-Wan and Yoda had fled in an attempt to save themselves and Luke. Bail alone had stayed behind to defend her, and while the Emperor had pushed him aside with a simple flick of the wrist, Padmé still felt greatly indebted to Bail for the effort.

"When did you get here?" she asked, standing up to give him a hug.

"Just a few hours ago," he said when she released him. "I'm so glad you're alright, Padmé. Mon told me what happened."

"Did she tell you… everything?" Padmé asked cautiously when they both sat down.

"If you're referring to the part about your daughter, then yes," Bail said quietly, leaning forward toward her so that nobody could overhear. "Is she here?"

"She is," Padmé said, lowering her voice as well. "I'd love for you to meet her."

"Um… isn't she a Sith Lord?" Bail asked nervously.

"Well yes, technically," Padmé said. "But she's not going to hurt you."

Bail seemed far from convinced by this assurance, but Padmé didn't get a chance to elaborate further because Mothma had stood up, causing everyone to cease conversing and look at her.

"Thank you all for being here," she said, holding her hands together in front of her. "I will get straight to the point. I have called you all here to bring up the possibility of a ceasefire with the Empire."

The room was completely silent. Everyone at the table stared back at Mothma incredulously, Padmé included. A ceasefire? Had Mon lost her mind?

"I understand why this may not be a popular decision, but I think the time has come for us to face the reality of our situation," Mon said, her eyes scanning the room with a somber expression. "As you all know, the assault on the Death Star last week was a terrible defeat for us. We lost the majority of our fleet and our pilots. Fortunately, we were able to escape to Hoth just in time, but the Empire will find us eventually. When they do, they will not fail to destroy us this time around."

The room was oppressively silent for nearly a full minute. Mon stared back at them, clearly waiting for someone to speak. Finally, Bail broke the silence. "What would a ceasefire accomplish?" he asked. "The Empire will destroy us either way." Padmé found herself nodding along with many others in the room. Surrendering to the Empire meant signing away their lives for good. The Emperor would have them all executed for treason.

"It would bring an end to the bloodshed at the very least," Mothma replied. "This is something I would be willing to achieve even if it meant that all of our lives would be forfeit because of it."

"So you want us to give up?" Dodonna asked accusatively.

"It's not giving up, it's conceding that we are unable to win this fight. The Death Star has changed everything. I have no doubt that the Emperor will use this weapon to annihilate worlds supportive to our cause. I would not be able to live with myself if billions of innocents were to die because we were too afraid to surrender."

Padmé swallowed hard and looked down at the table. She couldn't deny that Mon had a point. Palpatine would surely have no qualms about using his superweapon. "We cannot surrender," she heard Bail say. "We cannot let Palpatine win."

"What do you suggest we do, Viceroy?" Mothma asked with a hint of exasperation. "What would you do if the Emperor threatened to destroy Alderaan? How would you react if your home was annihilated?"

Bail swallowed hard and looked away from Mothma. Nobody in the room said anything, reflecting on this horrific question. What would she do? Surely the Emperor wouldn't destroy his own planet of Naboo, but that didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. The destruction of any planet with inhabited life on it was a horrible thought. Did they not have an obligation to do anything in their power to prevent this from happening? But then again, it wasn't as if the Emperor wasn't going to use the Death Star even if they did surrender. He would probably still keep it operational, and perhaps even use it to instill fear and enforce obedience to his tyranny.

"The Emperor won't decommission the Death Star if we surrender," Padmé said. "We have to destroy it while we still can."

"We can't," Mothma said with a heavy sigh. "We simply don't have the capacity to destroy that station. The defeat at Yavin proved that."

Padmé shook her head as an idea began to formulate in her mind. "You're wrong," she said. "There is a way."

Bemused, Mothma raised an eyebrow and unclasped her hands. "Care to enlighten us?" she asked with a hint of sarcasm.

Padmé hesitated and glanced at Bail who gave her an encouraging nod. "If we can't blow it up from the outside, why don't we try to destroy it from the inside?" she said slowly.

Mothma blinked a few times before saying, "Does this have something to do with… the girl?"

"Perhaps," Padmé said with a slight nod.

"Then it's out of the question," Mothma said stiffly. "She cannot be trusted."

"But Mon –"

"Padmé, listen to yourself!" Mothma exclaimed, the detached formality disappearing in an instant. "You're placing your faith in someone who's sole purpose just one week ago was to destroy this Rebellion!"

"But she's changed now!"

"How could you possibly know that?"

"She's my daughter!"

"Immaterial," Mothma said with a wave of her hand. "She could be an Imperial spy for all you know."

"We kidnapped her! Not the other way around. That doesn't make any sense," Padmé said, her cheeks flushed with anger.

"Padmé, enough!" Mothma snapped loudly. Taking a deep breath, Mothma closed her eyes and took a moment to recompose herself. She had never been one to express her emotions like Bail or Padmé. The fact that she had gone off the handle like that demonstrated how seriously she was taking this situation.

"Senator, I understand why you are hesitant about this and I understand why you feel obliged to reach a settlement with the Empire, but I'm begging you to give her a chance," Padmé said. She felt everyone's eyes on her, but she refused to be intimidated, electing to stare back at Mothma unblinkingly. Mothma for her part seemed unable to make eye contact with Padmé and was glancing around the room as if looking for someone to intervene on her behalf. "Give me a month," Padmé said when it became clear that Mothma wasn't going to say anything. "Surely you can wait that long."

Mothma frowned and finally looked at her directly. "One week," she said, her eyes narrowed with either contempt or suspicion, Padmé couldn't tell for sure.

"Two weeks," Padmé countered.

Mothma opened her mouth to object but then closed it again. "Give her a chance," she heard Bail say, he alone understanding what it was they were talking about. "We shouldn't surrender unless we have exhausted all of our options. If Padmé thinks there is a chance, we should trust her."

Mothma bit her lower lip and looked at Bail with a distant expression for a few moments. "Very well," she said finally. "I will give you two weeks. But if the Emperor uses the Death Star to destroy a world in that time, it will be your responsibility, Padmé."

"I understand," Padmé said quickly. "May I be excused?"

"Fine," Mothma said. "This meeting is adjourned anyway. We will meet again in two weeks' time to discuss our options."

Padmé stood up quickly and rushed out of the room. Ignoring Bail who was calling after her, Padmé pushed the doors to the conference room open and went running off down the hallway. She didn't stop until she reached Leia's room. To her left, she saw Bail speed walking down the hallway toward her. "Padmé, what is going on?" he asked.

Padmé shook her head and knocked on Leia's door. She didn't feel like explaining herself to Bail right now. Nobody answered the door and in that time Bail had made his way to her side.

"Padmé, what –"

Bail fell silent when Padmé shushed him. She had heard some rummaging from behind the door. Swinging open, Padmé was surprised to see Luke rather than Leia. He was squinting heavily, adjusting to the bright lights of the hallway. Noticing Bail, Luke hesitated for a moment before stepping out of the room and closing the door behind him.

"Leia just fell asleep," he informed her. "What's up?"

"Oh," Padmé said, feeling a bit foolish. "I was hoping to talk to her."

"Is it urgent?" Luke asked.

"I suppose not," Padmé said lamely, looking down at her hands. She was feeling upstaged by Luke, although she knew this was ridiculous. Nonetheless, she couldn't help but resent him for assuming such a large role in Leia's life whereas she had been pushed aside.

"Viceroy," Luke said, reaching out and offering his hand to Bail. "How are you?"

"Better now that your mother is safe," Bail said, shaking Luke's hand firmly. "It was incredibly heroic of you to rescue her. I apologize for doubting you."

"That's quite alright, Viceroy," Luke said. "We wouldn't have been able to escape without my sister's help. She did most of the work."

Bail nodded and opened his mouth to speak when he heard a startled cry from behind the door Luke was currently standing in front of. "Luke?" she heard Leia's voice call out. "Luke! Where are you?"

Cursing under his breath, Luke spun around and forced the door open. Padmé followed him into the dark room where she could make out Leia's figure in the bed. She was seated upright and breathing rapidly, her eyes wide with fear.

"I woke up and you weren't here!" she said in a panicky voice. "He was coming back, I could feel it!"

"I'm here," Luke said, rushing toward her side and sitting on the bed. "I was just outside. You're alright, he can't hurt you."

Leia's breathing steadied as she grabbed onto Luke's hand shakily. Padmé shifted her feet uncomfortably, feeling as if she was interrupting on an intimate moment. But she shouldn't have to feel that way! She was their mother!

Leia looked up to see Padmé standing in the doorway. "Oh," she said, looking embarrassed that Padmé had caught her looking so vulnerable. "Hi."

"You should get some sleep," Luke told her. "You haven't gotten hardly any sleep in a week."

Leia nodded but didn't slip back down into the pillows. Instead she continued to stare back at Padmé awkwardly. "Why is she here?" she asked finally.

Padmé cringed and looked down. She hadn't asked her why she was there, but had instead asked Luke. It was as if she was a stranger to her. "I wanted to talk to you about something," Padmé said a little tartly.

"Now isn't a good time," Luke said.

"Luke, I appreciate that you're looking out for your sister, but don't tell me when I can and cannot speak to my daughter," she snapped. Luke's eyes widened in surprise whereas conversely Leia's narrowed in contempt.

"Don't talk to Luke that way," she said sharply.

"Luke is my son, I can talk to him however I please!" Padmé fired back.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Luke asked, intervening before Leia could say something potentially damaging.

Padmé clenched her jaw and looked away. She shouldn't be lashing out at the twins like this. What had gotten into her? "I'm sorry, Luke," she said. "I shouldn't have said that. I'm just dealing with a lot of stress right now."

"Is it because of your meeting?" Luke asked innocently. Luke had been badgering her about the meeting for days, desperate to get more information. She had been tight-lipped, knowing that she wasn't allowed to share confidential information with him. Not that she had had anything to share, that is. She had been just as in the dark as Luke had been before the meeting convened.

Padmé glanced out the doorway at Bail who was awkwardly waiting in the hallway, unsure what to do with himself. She knew she wasn't supposed to disclose confidential information, but there was little point in hiding it if she wanted Leia's help. "Mothma wants to surrender," she blurted out abruptly.

"Padmé!" Bail said from the hallway. "You can't be telling people that!"

"They're my children, Bail!" Padmé retorted. "Stay out of this."

"Who's that?" Leia asked, trying to look past Padmé to see who was in the hallway.

"A friend," Padmé said vaguely.

"What do you mean she wants to surrender?" Luke asked incredulously.

"She thinks there is nothing we can do in the face of the Death Star," Padmé explained bitterly. "She thinks it's best that we reach terms with the Emperor before he uses that battle station to destroy a planet."

"Oh, he's going to use it," Leia said with jarring mirth. "He wouldn't have invested so heavily in it if he wasn't going to use it."

"That's what I told Mothma," Padmé said, unnerved slightly by Leia's tone. "We have to destroy it. Do you know of a way to do that?"

"Me?" Leia asked, sounding surprised.

"Well, yes," Padmé said. "Is there a way to destroy it from the inside?"

"Not that I know of," Leia said, causing Padmé's spirits to plummet. "It's impregnable."

"But what about the exhaust port?" Luke said. "We can still destroy it from the outside!"

"We lost the majority of our fleet in the assault," Padmé told him. "Mothma doesn't think it's worth another attempt."

"But –"

"Padmé, that is enough!" Padmé spun around to see Bail cross the threshold into the room. "This is top secret information you're sharing!" Padmé opened her mouth in indignation, but was shocked to see Bail freeze in front of her, his hand suspended in front of him from when he had attempted to grab her arm.

"Get away from my mother."

Padmé looked around to see Leia, still seated in bed, holding her hand out with a fiery expression. Suddenly, she yanked her hand upward and Bail was levitated into the air. Bail reached for his throat and kicked his legs wildly.

"Leia, stop!" Luke and Padmé cried simultaneously.

Leia looked confused by this request, but nonetheless obliged instantly. Dropping her hand, Bail collapsed to the floor. Padmé fell to her knees to attend to him.

"Bail, are you alright?" she asked. Bail shook off her hand and struggled to his feet. Giving Leia a terrified look, Bail retreated from the room quickly. "Bail! Bail come back!" Padmé called after him, but he didn't stop walking away.

"Why did you do that?" she asked angrily, turning to Leia.

"He was going to touch you," Leia said, her eyes wide as if she didn't understand why Padmé was mad at her. "He shouldn't have done that."

Padmé's face softened at Leia's confusion. She didn't know any better. All her life she had been trained to act in that way. In fact, it was kind of endearing that Leia had defended her like that. Although it had been wrong of her to strangle Bail, Padmé couldn't help but feel a swell of affection towards her daughter. _So she does care about me_, Padmé thought. Maybe she did love her like she loved Luke but wasn't good at showing it.

"Thank you for defending me, but you shouldn't have done that," Padmé said, trying to keep her voice stern. "It's not nice to strangle people. Especially friends like Bail."

"Who is he? And what's wrong with his face?" Leia asked bluntly.

"He's an old friend and colleague of mine," Padmé said. "And his face was scarred when he tried to defend me from the Emperor."

"Why did he have to defend you from the Emperor?" Leia asked, clearly confused.

Padmé inhaled sharply when she realized that Leia didn't know what had happened on Polis Massa. She had told Luke, of course, but she had for some reason not told Leia. "Palpatine tracked me down after Obi-Wan killed your father," Padmé began. "I had been brought to a medical facility on an asteroid field called Polis Massa. Luke was born first, and when we learned that the Emperor was arriving, I gave him to Obi-Wan and told him to run." Padmé paused for a moment as Leia absorbed this information. "I hadn't known at the time that I was carrying twins," she continued, her voice cracking a bit. "You were born just as the Emperor arrived. Bail stayed behind to protect me, but he couldn't do anything against a Sith Lord. The Emperor electrocuted him and mutilated his face."

"Then what happened?" Leia asked, although Padmé could see that she was putting the pieces together.

Padmé swallowed hard and looked away from Leia's big brown eyes which were so much like her own. "He took you from me," she said, her voice trembling precariously. "He took you out of my arms and left."

Leia didn't say anything as she stared back at Padmé. Her jaw was clenched angrily and she was taking deep and rapid breaths. Her whole body began to shake as she looked down and clenched her fists. Padmé watched Leia nervously, although she was relieved that Leia seemed upset at learning that Palpatine had stolen her as a baby.

"I hate him," she said in an angry whisper. "He ruined everything."

"That's why he has to be stopped," Padmé said, feeling a great surge of optimism. "You have to help us defeat him."

Leia looked up at her, her eyes burning with rage. "I won't just defeat him," she said in a low voice. "I will destroy him."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Luke was lying as still as he possibly could while staring blankly at the ceiling. To his left, Leia was curled up against him, clutching on to his arm painfully. Luke had been uncomfortable about sleeping in the same bed as her, but she had practically begged him to stay. She had insisted that the bed was big enough for them both and if he closed his eyes he wouldn't even know she was there. Yet when he woke up early that morning, Leia had migrated in her sleep to get as close to him as possible.

Unsure what to do with himself, Luke had simply froze. In a way, it was endearing how desperately Leia had attached herself to him, but he couldn't help but feel awkward about this arrangement. She of course didn't see anything wrong, but Luke knew he couldn't let this continue for much longer. It simply wasn't appropriate for them to be sleeping in the same bed. They were siblings, after all, not a married couple.

Yet looking into her sleeping face, Luke felt his discomfort fade into affection. On the surface, Leia could be intimidating and insensitive. Yet in the past twenty-four hours Luke had been able to see through the coarse exterior and see that Leia was actually incredibly vulnerable. Although she was an extremely powerful and capable person, she nevertheless needed someone to look after her. In many ways, she was much more like a little girl than a Sith Lord.

Luke sighed deeply and looked away from her to continue staring at the ceiling. Luke could acknowledge that Leia needed someone to look after her, but that didn't mean he wanted to spend every moment of his day with her. They needed to find a way to get Vader out of her head, and they needed to do it quickly. Luke loved his sister, but he wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to serve her in this capacity. He was going to go insane if he didn't have any semblance of privacy.

Luke looked back to his left when Leia began to stir. Yawning, Leia opened her eyes and saw him looking at her. "Sorry," she muttered, releasing his arm and shifting away from him. Luke lifted his arm and flexed his hand, feeling circulation return to his fingers.

"Did you sleep well?" Luke asked, sitting upright and resting his back on the wall.

Leia nodded her head and rubbed her eyes. "I hadn't slept in days," she said. "I'm still kind of tired."

"Do you want to go back to sleep?"

"No, it's alright," she said much to Luke's relief. "I should get up."

Luke nodded and watched her slip out of bed. She rummaged about for a few moments before producing a silken white dress. She held it in front of her and gave it a funny look.

"Where'd you get that?" Luke asked.

"Mom gave it to me," she answered. Luke noted with a small smile that she hadn't hesitated in referring to Padmé as her mother. "I didn't have any clothes so she lent me some."

"Oh," Luke said. He hadn't really thought about where Leia had gotten the clothes she had been wearing for the past week. Then again, nothing Leia had worn had been particularly noteworthy and Luke must have assumed that the Rebels had provided her with some clothing. She mainly had been wearing nondescript black or grey tunics. "Why haven't you worn that dress yet?" he asked. "It looks beautiful."

Leia looked at him quickly. "You think so?" she asked, blushing a little bit. "I never wear things like this."

"You should try it on," Luke encouraged earnestly. He and Padmé had agreed that they should try to help Leia explore her femininity as best they could. Palpatine had done his best to crush her identity and they decided that it was imperative that they try to reverse the damaging effects of his efforts. If that meant getting Leia to wear pretty dresses, Luke would do his best to encourage her.

"I don't know," she said, lowering the dress a bit. "I wouldn't look good in it."

Luke blinked a few times in surprise at this assessment. "You're joking, right?" he asked.

"I'm not joking. It doesn't suit me," Leia said with a frown. "Mom always looks so pretty in her dresses," she added a bit wistfully. Luke snorted in amusement causing Leia to give him a dirty look. "Why are you laughing at me?" she asked stiffly.

"You're completely wrong," Luke told her. Did she honestly think she wouldn't look good in that dress? Did she really not know how gorgeous she was?

"No I'm not," Leia insisted petulantly. "Mom's a hundred times prettier than me."

Luke smiled and shook his head, "Even if that was true, that wouldn't matter," he said. "You should wear it because you want to, not because you look good in it."

Leia looked down at the dress with a contemplative expression. "I never got to choose what I got to wear," she said. "Sidious made me wear that mask and armor whenever I was in public. He didn't want anyone to know that I was a woman."

"Well you don't have to hide that anymore," Luke said.

Leia turned to look at him for a moment before nodding and giving him one of her tentative smiles. "Alright," she said. "I'm going to take a shower first."

"Great!" Luke said enthusiastically, delighted that he had convinced her.

"Don't go anywhere," she told him after turning around and walking toward the bathroom with the dress in tow.

"I'll be right here," Luke assured her.

Half an hour later, Luke was beginning to get impatient. Pacing back and forth in front of the bathroom door, he contemplated knocking to see how much longer she was going to be. Just as he was about to rap his fist on the door, however, it swung open. Luke's mouth fell open and his fist remained suspended in the air as his whole body froze. Standing in front of him was Leia dressed in the sleeveless white dress. Her short hair was done up in a small bun and the V neck of her dress revealed the faintest hint of cleavage.

"Do you not like it?" Leia asked, misinterpreting the reason for his stunned expression.

"Huh? No! No, it's… it's incredible!" Luke stammered, finally lowering his hand and wringing his wrist awkwardly. "You look incredible."

Leia blushed and looked down. "Thank you," she said in a small voice.

Feeling uncomfortable, Luke cleared his throat and looked away as well. "Um… do you want to get some breakfast, or…"

"I'd like that," Leia said. "There's something I want to do first, though." Nodding, Luke stepped aside and ruffled his hair a bit to give him something to do with his hands. Leia didn't seem to notice Luke's awkward behavior and stepped toward the dresser in the corner of the room. Opening a drawer, she sifted about for a moment before producing a shimmering silver shawl. Wrapping it around her bare shoulders, Leia took a deep breath and looked at her reflection. After a moment she smiled sweetly, illuminating her face in a way Luke had never seen before. "Alright, let's go," she said, turning away from the mirror.

Luke followed her toward the door when she suddenly stopped and looked around. "I don't have anywhere to put my lightsaber," she said, looking at her weapon which was rested across the room on the end table. "I can't wear this."

"Why do you need your lightsaber?" Luke asked.

"You shouldn't go anywhere without your weapon," she said seriously.

"But you're not in any danger," Luke insisted.

"You never know," Leia said, calling the weapon to her hand with the Force. "I have to get changed, this isn't going to work."

"No!" Luke said perhaps a bit too forcefully. Leia arched an eyebrow, clearly perplexed by his insistence. "I can carry it for you," he suggested. "I'll be near you all the time anyway, so you can have it if you ever need it."

Leia frowned and looked down at the lightsaber in her hand. "I suppose that could work," she said after a moment's deliberation. Reluctantly, she tore her eyes away from her prized possession and held it out to Luke. Luke reached to grab it, but Leia didn't loosen her grip when he put his hands around the hilt.

"It's okay, you can trust me," he told her.

Leia hesitated for another moment longer before slackening her grip and allowing Luke to take the lightsaber. Leia exhaled loudly as Luke attached it to his belt next to his own. "I'm sorry," she said.

"Don't be," Luke said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright."

"I do trust you, Luke," she said, meeting his eyes.

"And I trust you," Luke told her with a warm smile. "We're twins. We look after each other." Leia reciprocated his smile and Luke caught his breath once again as marveled at her beauty. "Come on," he said. "We're going to be late for breakfast."

Leia instinctively grabbed Luke's hand as they made their way out into the hallway. He knew that she didn't feel comfortable on the Rebel Base, and that discomfort was only amplified by all the attention her outfit was garnering. Luke for once didn't feel embarrassed by Leia's clinginess as it allowed him to stare down anyone who looked at Leia for too long, which was nearly everybody according to Luke's preferences. He could understand why the Rebels were so mesmerized by Leia. After all, beautiful women in beautiful clothing were a very rare sight on Hoth. Nonetheless, he felt extremely protective of her and he consequently squeezed her hand especially tightly as they made the walk to the mess hall.

Many heads turned as they walked past and Luke stiffened angrily when he heard someone wolf whistle. "Mom's over there," he heard Leia whisper to him. Nodding, Luke allowed Leia to lead him toward their mother who was deep in conversation with Bail Organa.

"Maybe we shouldn't," Luke said when Organa looked up to see them approaching. The Viceroy no doubt would harbor ill feelings towards Leia after what had happened last night. Leia ignored him, however, releasing his hand and striding forward confidently.

Padmé turned around when she noticed Organa's fearful expression. Her eyes widened when she saw Leia wearing her dress. "Leia, you look beautiful!" she exclaimed, standing up quickly and hugging her unsuspecting daughter. Luke stopped a few feet away and watched for Leia's reaction. While she had no doubt been caught off guard, she recovered quickly and reciprocated the hug before pulling away. "What made you wear it?' Padmé asked, smiling broadly as she looked Leia up and down.

"Luke convinced me," she said, blushing furiously at Padmé's overwhelmingly affectionate reception. Luke raised his eyebrows at this comment. Sure, he had been partially responsible, but Leia had been the one to choose the dress in the first place. Perhaps she didn't know why she had chosen it and was using him as a scapegoat.

"I should go," Organa said stiffly from the other side of the table. Padmé spun around, supposedly to attempt to convince him to stay, but Leia was too quick for her. With truly terrifying speed, Leia walked around the table and approached Organa who shied away from her in fear. Instead of hurting him, however, she offered out her hand to the terrified Viceroy.

"I would like to apologize for my behavior the other night," Leia told him formally. "It was wrong of me to hurt you." Stunned, Organa looked at Padmé who nodded at him encouragingly. Blinking a few times, Organa turned back to Leia and stared at her silently for a few moments. After a tense silence, he finally reached out and accepted her hand, enveloping her much smaller hand with his own.

When Organa released Leia's hand after several moments, Padmé rushed around the table and hugged Leia once again. "Mom!" Leia exclaimed indignantly. "Let me go!" Padmé ignored her, however, and squeezed her tighter.

"I'm so proud of you!" Padmé said, her voice somewhat muffled as she spoke into Leia's shoulder.

"Mom, please," Leia said, although the faint smile on the corner of her lips betrayed her true feelings. Luke smiled widely, crossing his arms in front of him as he watched the two of them. Padmé finally released Leia after a third plea for freedom. Stepping back, Padmé laughed a bit as she wiped tears out of her eyes.

"You see, Bail?" she said, looking beyond Leia to the Viceroy. "I was right about her."

Organa didn't seem convinced, but he didn't have the audacity to contradict her. Instead he bowed his head slightly and took a step back. "I should be going," he said. "I promised Breha I would contact her this morning."

"You don't want to stay for breakfast?" Padmé asked with a frown.

"I really should go," Organa insisted. Luke couldn't blame him for wanting to leave. While Leia's apology had certainly seemed heartfelt, it would no doubt be hard to forget much less forgive Leia for dangling him in the air by his throat.

Padmé evidently wasn't offended by Organa's eagerness to depart, and after he left she turned back to Leia. "That dress fits you so well," she said as she placed her hands on Leia's arms. "I'm so glad you're wearing it."

The three of them enjoyed a bizarrely pleasant breakfast that morning. Luke and Padmé kept smiling at each other whenever Leia wasn't looking. She was progressing far better than they could have possibly imagined. She too seemed happy – far happier than they had ever seen her before – and Luke was positively ecstatic for her.

"So are we going to do more training today?" Luke asked when they had finished their meal.

"If you still want to," Leia said.

"Of course I want to," Luke told her. "I was just frustrated yesterday, that's all."

"Is it not going well?" Padmé asked.

"He's doing fine," Leia insisted before Luke could answer. "He's just impatient."

"I know," Luke said, absentmindedly prodding the crust of his toast with a fork. "You're just so much better at it than I am."

"Leia has trained her whole life," Padmé told him, not for the first time. "You have nothing to be ashamed of. Isn't that right, Leia?"

Leia didn't answer, however. She had suddenly stiffened and looked up from the table.

"What's wrong?" Luke asked.

"Give me my lightsaber," Leia said, standing up abruptly.

"What? Why?"

"Just give it to me!"

"Alright, alright," Luke said, producing her red lightsaber from his belt and throwing it to her. "What's going on?"

"Follow me," she said. Luke gave Padmé a perplexed look before they both stood up to follow her. Leia didn't wait for them to catch up and instead went rushed out of the mess hall, her silken dress flowing behind her.

"Leia, wait up!" Luke called after her when she made a turn down a hallway. As Luke and Padmé followed her, they found out that she was running toward the hangar.

"Why is she going to the hangar?" Luke asked as they paused to catch their breath at the entrance.

Padmé squinted as she looked into the hangar. "Is that Han's ship?"

Luke followed her eyes and saw the distinctive shape of the Millennium Falcon in the distance. "Obi-Wan's back!" Luke exclaimed excitedly. "Come on!" Rushing after Leia toward the Falcon, Luke came to an abrupt stop when Leia ignited her lightsaber.

"Leia, what are you doing?" Luke asked, standing about ten feet behind her fearfully.

"Kenobi brought back up," she growled.

"What are you talking about?" Luke asked incredulously.

Leia held her lightsaber with both hands and raised it up to her face when the on ramp began unfurling with a hiss. Paralyzed with fear, Luke fiddled with his own lightsaber on his belt. Luke knew there was nothing he could do if Leia chose to attack Obi-Wan, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try to defend him.

The ramp landed on the icy hangar floor with a thud. Luke followed Leia's gaze up the ramp to see Obi-Wan's figure looming above them. Upon seeing Leia, Obi-Wan froze. "Darth Vitrius," he said in greeting.

"Who is with you?" Leia asked. "Who have you brought to kill me?"

Obi-Wan frowned and glanced behind her toward Luke and Padmé. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said. "I have no designs to kill you."

"Then who is that?"

Obi-Wan looked down to his right. Luke squinted when he saw a diminutive figure emerge at Obi-Wan's side. It was a little green man with pointy triangular ears. Intimidating wasn't the word Luke would use to describe him, but Leia snarled at him when he appeared and bent her knees as if preparing for a fight.

"The heir of Vader," the puny green man said when he looked at Leia. "Unexpected, this is."

"Who are you?" Leia asked again.

"This is Grandmaster Yoda," Obi-Wan said as he and Yoda began descending the ramp together. Yoda walked slowly, gripping a wooden cane with his three-fingered hand. "He is not here to kill you, Vitrius."

Leia wavered and glanced around at Luke as if to ask him what to do. Luke shook his head, hoping that she would lower her weapon. Turning back to Obi-Wan and Yoda, Leia narrowed her eyes and took a step back. "Don't get any closer!" she said when the two Jedi reached the bottom of the ramp.

"Full of darkness, she is," Yoda said, ignoring Leia's protestations and continuing to approach. "Right you were, Obi-Wan."

Leia pointed her lightsaber directly at Yoda's head, her arm trembling slightly. "Stop right there," she said in what would have been an authoritative tone were it not for the slight tremor in her voice. Something about Yoda had shaken her. Luke couldn't understand why that was. Leia wasn't afraid of anyone! So why was she so nervous in the presence of a three-foot tall alien?

Yoda paused, looking up at the red blade indifferently. "Full of anger, you are," he said. "Much like your father."

"Leia put your lightsaber down," Luke said, taking a bold step forward.

Yoda looked away from Leia to him, causing Luke to freeze as Yoda's sagacious eyes analyzed him. "Luke Skywalker," he said, the hint of a wry smile on the corner of his mouth. "A long time, it has been."

Unsure of what to say, Luke swallowed and nodded dumbly. From behind him, he heard his mother step forward. "Master Yoda, how are you?" she asked.

Yoda looked away from Luke toward Padmé and smiled more broadly. "Senator Amidala," he said. "Delighted, I am, to see you alive. Feared the worst, Obi-Wan and I did."

Padmé smiled at him as well, but it didn't seem to reach her eyes. Luke could sense that his mother seemed a bit ambivalent about the grandmaster. "Leia, put away your weapon," Padmé said with authority. "Yoda is not a threat to you."

Leia hesitated for a moment longer before finally lowering her lightsaber, although she didn't deactivate it. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Master Kenobi invited me," Yoda said humbly.

"What for?"

"Diagnose you, I will."

"Diagnose?" Leia repeated. "What is he talking about?" she asked, looking up at Obi-Wan.

"I want Master Yoda to find out if it really is Vader who is in your mind," Obi-Wan told her.

"Can you kill him?" she asked, suddenly looking hopeful.

"Kill him? Why would you want us to do that?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I want him gone," Leia said. "Can you do that?"

Obi-Wan and Yoda looked at each other, clearly bewildered by this development. "Leia has renounced the dark side," Luke said, taking another step forward so that he was directly behind his sister. "She wants to destroy the Emperor."

"When did this happen?" Obi-Wan asked incredulously.

"When I found out Sidious stole me as an infant," Leia said. "Although I'm aware that the Jedi had similar practices, isn't that right, Grandmaster?"

Yoda narrowed his eyes at Leia and scrutinized her face more intensely. "An enigma, you are," he said, ignoring the accusation. Leia looked down at Yoda defiantly, her weapon still humming by her side.

"The darkness has been penetrated," Obi-Wan said, looking at Leia curiously as well. "Can you sense it?"

"Indeed," Yoda said. "Both light and dark, she is."

"Could she be the one?" Obi-Wan asked.

Yoda made a soft humming sound and reached upwards with his left hand. Surprised, Leia stiffened a bit but didn't back away. Yoda closed his eyes and scrunched his forehead in concentration for a few moments. "Very interesting," he mumbled finally, lowering his hand and opening his eyes.

"What are you two talking about?" Leia asked in a high voice.

"Tired, I am," Yoda said, ignoring Leia's question. "Inside, we will go."

Leia blinked a few times as Yoda turned away from her and began walking away slowly, grunting a bit with each laborious step. Bemused, Leia finally extinguished her lightsaber and handed it to Luke who quickly reattached it to his belt. Obi-Wan's eyes widened when he noticed this exchange.

"What happened while I was gone?" he asked them.

"How about we tell you inside," Luke suggested when he noticed Leia begin to shiver. She was only wearing a dress and a thin shawl, after all.

"Very well," Obi-Wan said. "After you."

* * *

"Vitrius, I'm so sorry."

"Leia," Luke corrected once again. "We don't use that name anymore."

"Leia," Obi-Wan repeated, bowing his head at her. "I can't imagine how horrible that must have been for you."

Leia swallowed hard and looked away, feeling uncomfortable with receiving sympathy from a man whom she had sought to kill for over a decade. Luke, Leia, and Padmé were all seated on one side of the mahogany table in the conference room which Mothma had begrudgingly given them permission to use. Obi-Wan was pacing back and forth on the other side of the table while Yoda sat directly in front of them, seated atop a pile of pillows so that he could be at eye level.

"So Luke protects you from Vader?" Obi-Wan asked, coming to a stop to Yoda's right.

"It seems like it," Luke said. "Whenever we are together, Vader can't hurt Leia."

"Remarkable," Obi-Wan said. "Have you ever encountered something like this before, Master Yoda?"

Yoda didn't respond. He hadn't said much when Luke had told his story. Instead he had been staring back at Leia intently, causing her to squirm in her seat. "Intrinsically connected, you two are," he said finally, glancing at Luke as well before returning his full attention to Leia. "Bound together through the Force."

"What exactly does that mean?" Luke asked.

"I'm not entirely sure," Obi-Wan said. "Force connections by themselves are not uncommon. Anakin and I for example shared a particularly close bond. The connection between you two, however, is unprecedented."

"How so?" Luke asked.

"When you are together, I cannot differentiate you two through the Force," Obi-Wan said. "You are so intertwined that you appear as one."

"It's because they're twins," Padmé said, joining the conversation for the first time.

"I agree," Obi-Wan said. "The Jedi's provision on attachments prevented a circumstance such as this from ever happening before. I do believe you two are the first documented example of this phenomenon."

"But what does it mean?" Luke asked. "Why is it so significant?"

"It's hard to say," Obi-Wan said, stroking his beard before continuing. "Together I think you two could be the ones to bring balance to the Force."

"Bring balance to the Force? What does that mean?" Luke asked.

"There was a prophecy," Obi-Wan explained. "It said that there would be a Chosen One who would bring the Force into balance. Ever since we found Anakin on Tatooine, we thought he was the one the prophecy was referring to. With his demise, however, we were proven wrong."

"And you think Leia and I could be the Chosen One?" Luke asked. "That doesn't make any sense. There's two of us, not one."

"Indeed, but we could have misinterpreted the prophecy," Obi-Wan said.

"What say you, Master Yoda," Leia asked abruptly, staring back at the ancient grandmaster whose eyes hadn't left hers for minutes on end.

Yoda tilted his head curiously before answering. "Powerful, you are," he said. "Yet darkness surrounds you still."

"But if we're supposed to bring balance to the Force, there's going to have to be darkness," Luke objected. "Otherwise it wouldn't be balanced."

"I tend to agree with you, Luke," Obi-Wan said. "But we don't know what it means for the Force to be balanced. Before the Empire, the Jedi Order thought that it meant the destruction of the Sith and the eradication of darkness entirely."

"But that isn't what balance means," Luke said.

"Indeed, it was foolish for us to assume that that was what the prophecy meant," Obi-Wan said, his eyes twinkling a bit as he smiled at Luke proudly.

"Fools, we were not," Yoda said sternly. "Misinterpreted the prophecy, perhaps we did. But fools, we were not."

Obi-Wan smiled wryly at the back of Yoda's head, clearly disagreeing with this sentiment. "I know that I was a fool, at least," he said.

"Don't say that, Ben," Luke said.

"I failed your father, Luke," Obi-Wan said. "For twenty years, I have felt remorse for my great failure. I don't want to fail you or Leia this time around. If you two are the Chosen Ones, then I will do anything in my power to assist you."

Luke glanced at her, trying to gauge her reaction. Leia kept her face unreadable, although she did eye Obi-Wan with heightened interest. He seemed entirely genuine.

"Then help me kill Vader," she said. "I can't function properly until he is out of my head."

Obi-Wan nodded. "I would be honored to help you do this, but as you know I have no idea how to do that," he said.

"I do," Leia said.

"You do?" Luke asked, surprised.

"I have an idea," she clarified. "I want to go to Malachor."

Yoda and Obi-Wan both inhaled sharply and looked at each other. Luke and Padmé, however, didn't know the significance of this name. "What's on Malachor?" Luke asked her.

"Answers," Leia said simply. "What do you say, Kenobi? Will you come with me?"

"Go to Malachor, Obi-Wan cannot," Yoda said. "No Jedi can go there."

"Why do you think Malachor will have the answers you seek?" Obi-Wan asked, his brow furrowed with concern.

"I just know," Leia said irritably. "Will you come with me or not?" Obi-Wan pursed his lips and looked down at his feet. "You said you would do anything to help us," Leia said. "I'm asking for your help now."

"May I ask why you're so insistent that I come along?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I don't know exactly what I'm looking for, so I would appreciate some experienced eyes to assist me," Leia explained.

"Please come, Ben," Luke said. "I'm sure it will be fine."

Obi-Wan gave Luke a wan smile before turning back to Leia. "I will go with you on one condition," he said to her. Leia raised an eyebrow but didn't object, allowing Obi-Wan to continue. "You will follow my intuition, not yours. If I tell you to turn around, you will do so. If I decide it is not safe, we will depart without debate. You will let me be in charge."

Leia narrowed her eyes at Obi-Wan but stopped herself from offering a retort when Luke elbowed her in the ribs. "Take the deal," he whispered to her when she turned to him indignantly. "We need him."

Leia looked back at Obi-Wan and considered his countenance for a moment. His genuine concern for her caught Leia off guard. The way he was looking at her was almost avuncular in its compassion. His expression wasn't exactly loving like the way her mother looked at her, but it was similar in its solicitude. It was thoroughly disarming for Leia to have someone worry for her safety like this.

"Allow this, I will not," Yoda said, shaking Leia from her ruminations.

"It's not your decision to make," Leia said tersely to the ancient grandmaster. "If Obi-Wan wants to come, you can't stop him."

"So do you agree to my terms?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I do," Leia said without hesitation.

"Really?" Obi-Wan said, clearly surprised.

"Yes, really. I want you to come with us, Obi-Wan," Leia told him.

"Alright then," he said, his surprise transforming into enthusiasm. "When shall we go?"

"Wait just a minute," Padmé said. "I thought you said this would be dangerous."

"Perhaps," Obi-Wan conceded.

"And you're not going to listen to anything I say, I take it?" she asked Leia. Looking down at the table, Leia felt ashamed by the accusation. "Fine," Padmé said, interpreting her silence as affirmation. "Then I'm going with you."

"What? No!" Leia exclaimed. "That's not a good idea."

"I'm not losing you again, Leia," Padmé said resolutely. "If you're going to go to Malachor then I am going to go with you."

"But, Mom –"

"This isn't a debate," Padmé interrupted brusquely. "I am going with you, and that's final."

"Unwise, this is," Yoda said. "Focus on the Emperor, you should, not Vader."

"I can't do anything against the Emperor as long as Vader is in my head," Leia said. "I need to expel him first."

"Too dangerous, this plan is," Yoda insisted.

"I have nothing to fear from Malachor," Leia insisted. "I am a Sith, not a Jedi. I will be welcome there."

"Much foreboding, I feel," Yoda said, rubbing his creased forehead wearily with his right hand. "Much danger, I foresee."

Leia shrugged off his ominous warnings and stood up. "I want to leave tomorrow morning," she said. "The sooner we defeat Vader, the better."


	9. Chapter 9

_**Author's Note: **_If it isn't already abundantly clear, I have not watched any of the Star Wars TV shows nor have I delved much into the non-movie material. As a consequence, my depiction of Malachor may differ from the way it is presented in _Rebels. _I did my best to make my version similar to the canonical version, however I did make some creative changes. Apologies in advance if you are offended by my plebeian Star Wars knowledge.

* * *

Chapter 9

_The massive structure was calling to her. The gargantuan pyramid emanated knowledge and power on a scale Leia had never experienced before. In a trance, Leia felt her feet pulling her toward the entrance. She knew that answers lay inside, although in the moment she didn't even know what it was she was looking for. Darkness gravitated around her, beckoning her deeper into the temple. Give in to the darkness… Come to me, for you are mine… Vader's heir…_

"Leia!"

Leia woke up with a start. Blinking a few times, she realized that she had once again wrapped herself around Luke's arm and was gripping it fiercely. Releasing him, Leia scooted away and apologized. She really needed to get Vader out of her head, or else she might accidentally tear off Luke's left arm in her sleep.

"Are you alright?" Luke asked as he stretched his hand gingerly.

"I'm fine," Leia said. "I'm sorry about your arm."

"It's not a problem," Luke said, giving her a strained smile. "You were muttering something in your sleep. Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," Leia repeated curtly. "I just had a dream, that's all."

"Was it about Malachor?" Luke asked.

Leia nodded and slipped out of bed. "It's calling me," she said as she looked for something to wear.

"What does that mean, exactly?" Luke asked nervously.

"I don't know," Leia said. "But I'm sure I'm supposed to be there."

"But what if it's a trap?"

Leia turned around and gave Luke a skeptical look. "It's not a trap," she said dismissively. "How would it be a trap?"

"I don't know," Luke said, pulling his knees into his chest under the covers. "Something just feels off about this."

"Do you not want to come?"

"Of course I do," Luke said quickly. "I just want you to be careful."

Leia said nothing to this as she continued to rummage through her mother's clothes. Did she not have anything practical to wear? It was just extravagant dress after extravagant dress!

"Why does she have so many dresses?" Leia muttered, more to herself than to Luke.

"It's probably because she was a queen," Luke answered.

Stunned, Leia spun around to look at him directly. "She was a _queen_?" she repeated incredulously.

"You didn't know?" Luke said. "I guess she never had the chance to tell you."

"How did you know?" Leia asked, suddenly feeling left out. She often felt insecure around her mother. She knew that it was unpleasant for her to discover that her daughter was a Sith Lord. No doubt she would have preferred that Luke be her only child. That must be why she had only told Luke that she had been a queen…

"She's never actually talked about it with me," Luke said. "Obi-Wan told me back on Tatooine."

"Oh," Leia said, her jealousy for Luke fading in an instant.

"She doesn't like to talk about her past, I think," Luke said.

Mollified by this explanation, Leia turned back around to continue searching for an appropriate outfit. "She's really incredible," Luke said. "A queen, a senator, and a leader of the Rebellion." Luke paused as Leia threw a dress in frustration. "And you're incredible too. I can't believe that I'm related to you two."

"What do you mean?" Leia asked, her back still to him.

"I'm a farmer," Luke said. "I'm nothing like you or Mom. There's nothing special about me."

Leia felt a strong reaction to that statement which she couldn't quite identify. It was similar to indignation, which was an emotion she certainly was familiar with, but it wasn't quite the same. Regardless, Leia knew that what Luke said upset her.

"You are special, Luke," she said, the words feeling awkward in her mouth, yet she persevered anyway. "You look after me. It takes a remarkable person to put up with me. I am so grateful that you're in my life and I… I love you."

Luke's eyes widened in surprise at this heartfelt declaration. Leia blushed and looked away. She had never told anyone that she loved them, not even Vader. Yet even though she felt embarrassed, she knew that she meant it. Luke meant everything to her even though she had only met him a week ago.

"Thank you, Leia," Luke said, recovering from his shock. "I love you too."

Deciding that she didn't have anything else to say, Leia turned back around and resumed her search. She felt Luke's eyes on her as neither of them said anything, both still feeling residual awkwardness. Finally, Leia found something at the bottom of a drawer and pulled it out. It was a simple long-sleeved white shirt. A horizontal seem along the midsection of the shirt indicated that it had been ripped once and repaired. Why did her mother own such an outfit? Everything else she had seen had been as spotless as it was opulent.

Setting the shirt aside, Leia reached down and produced the matching pants from the drawer. A tan belt was attached, providing her a convenient place to store her lightsaber. "This will do just fine," she said, admiring her find. "Although it's very white."

"What's wrong with white?" Luke asked.

"Sidious never let me wear it," Leia said as she placed the pants on the bed next to the shirt. "I could only wear black or grey."

"Then all the more reason to wear it," Luke said with a grin.

"I couldn't agree more," she said.

* * *

"Are we ready to go?"

Padmé turned around to see Luke and Leia approaching. She, Obi-Wan, and Yoda were waiting in the hangar by the base of the Millennium Falcon. When she saw Leia, Padmé's eyes widened in surprise.

"Where did you find that?" she asked.

"Find what?" Leia asked, coming to a stop in front of her.

"That outfit," Padmé said.

"You gave it to me, remember?" Leia said. "Is there a problem?"

"No, of course not, it's just…" Padmé trailed off, looking Leia up and down. "You look nice," she said finally.

"Didn't you wear that on Geonosis, Padmé?" Obi-Wan asked.

"You remember that?" Padmé asked, turning to him with surprise.

"It's hard not to remember harrowing experiences such as that one," he said with a wry smile.

"What happened on Geonosis?" Luke asked.

"It's where the Clone Wars began," Leia explained, looking at her mother with heightened interest. "Were you there during the battle?"

"Oh, yes," Padmé said. With a wistful half smile, Padmé looked away. "I was there," she said softly.

"Shall we get going?" Obi-Wan suggested, perhaps sensing Padmé's reticence.

"Yes," Leia said. "Han's not giving us any problems, is he?"

"No, he's been perfectly cooperative," Obi-Wan said. "Although I did have to promise him an inordinate sum of money which I may or may not have access to."

"Don't worry about that," Leia said. "I'm sure we'll be able to figure something out when this is all finished."

Obi-Wan smiled at her warmly. "You are very much like your father," he said. "He too never expressed much interest in planning ahead."

Padmé could see that Leia looked uncomfortable with this assessment, so she decided to step in and divert the conversation. "We should really be going," she said. "We don't want to keep Han and Chewbacca waiting."

Leia nodded and looked down at Yoda who hadn't said anything to this point. "Goodbye, Master Yoda," she said a bit stiffly.

Yoda considered her for a moment, clutching his walking stick tightly in his right hand. "May the Force be with you, young Skywalker," he said eventually.

Leia looked down at Yoda silently for a few seconds before nodding her head curtly and turning to walk up the ramp. Padmé gave Yoda an apologetic look for Leia's rudeness before following her daughter into the Falcon. Luke and Obi-Wan lingered behind a few moments longer before joining her in the main hold.

"Where's Leia?" Luke asked when he saw Padmé seated all by herself.

"She went to the cockpit," Padmé said. "She needs to give Han instructions."

Luke glanced surreptitiously down the hallway before walking over toward her. "Something happened this morning," he said in a low voice.

"Tell me," Padmé said, leaning forward in her seat.

Luke glanced at Obi-Wan who was twiddling his thumbs in the corner of the room, unsure of what to do with himself. "Leia told me she loves me," he said.

"Wow," Padmé said, leaning back against the back of the bench. "What prompted that?"

"We were talking about how you used to be a queen," Luke explained.

"How did you know about that?" Padmé asked. She hadn't told the twins hardly anything about her past. At first she had excused it because things had been so hectic that she had never gotten an opportunity. As time continued to pass, however, Padmé could acknowledge internally that she didn't want to talk about her past. It wasn't that she was ashamed of anything. On the contrary she was quite proud of her early life achievements, but anything involving her past would eventually lead to Anakin and Padmé wasn't ready to tell her children about him yet. It was still too painful.

"Obi-Wan told me," Luke said a bit sheepishly. "Should he not have?"

"No, it's alright," Padmé said, glancing over at Obi-Wan who seemed not to be paying them any attention. "Please continue."

"Right, so we were talking about that and I told her that I couldn't believe that I was related to you or to her because you both are just such incredible people while I'm a nobody."

"Don't say that, Luke!" Padmé said firmly, reaching out and taking his hand which was rested on the table in front of her. "You're not a nobody! You're an incredible young man yourself!"

"Thanks, but it's alright," he said. "I don't mind being a nobody."

"Luke –"

"This is beside the point," he interrupted. "Anyway, I said that and Leia got angry."

"Angry?"

"Not in a bad way," he said. "It was just like your reaction right now. She basically told me that I was special to her and that she loves me. It caught me off guard if I'm being frank. But I think it's a good thing, don't you think?"

Padmé nodded absently and looked away. It was undeniably an extremely encouraging sign that Leia felt comfortable enough around Luke to express her emotions in this way. Nonetheless, Padmé couldn't help but feel jealous and even a little resentful of Luke.

The ship suddenly lurched forward a bit, causing Luke to lose his balance for a moment. "Sit down, Luke," Padmé said, patting the bench next to her. Luke complied and sat next to her for the takeoff. After a few minutes, Luke turned to her.

"What's so significant about that outfit Leia's wearing?" he asked her.

"What do you mean?" Padmé said, feigning ignorance.

"I saw how surprised you were when you saw her wearing that," Luke said. "You had a very strong reaction, I could sense it."

"You could sense it?" Padmé repeated.

"That outfit elicited some mixed emotions," Luke said. "Why is that?"

Padmé looked over at Obi-Wan who was watching their conversation with great interest. "Did you hear that, Obi-Wan?" she asked. "He said he could sense it."

"Most impressive," Obi-Wan said, nodding to Luke who beamed at the praise.

"I think I could always sense things like this, but now I know what I'm doing," he said. "Before I just thought it was intuition, but now I can tell that it's really the Force."

"Indeed," Obi-Wan said, smiling proudly at Luke.

"Anyway, are you going to tell me why you felt that way, or is that none of my business?" Luke asked her.

Padmé sighed and looked down at the table. She didn't want to talk about this in the slightest, but Luke was so earnest. He wanted to know more about her, and she thus far had been extremely tightlipped about her past. Luke deserved to know about her past, no matter how hard it was for her to talk about.

"Well, I already told you that I was wearing that during the Battle on Geonosis," she said. "But I didn't tell you why I was there in the first place." Luke shook his head, looking at her with eager anticipation. "In the year before the Clone Wars began, I was the target of several assassination attempts," she said.

"Why?" Luke asked, his eyes wide.

"I was a vocal opponent of escalating conflict with the Separatists," she explained. "Later we found out that Count Dooku, the leader of the Separatists, sought to have me eliminated so that the war could begin." Luke frowned, clearly confused by this, but he didn't ask a question so Padmé continued. "Because of this, the Jedi offered to protect me until we could discover who was behind these attempts. Since I had already known Obi-Wan from when I was Queen of Naboo, the Jedi assigned him and his Padawan to protect me."

Luke's eyebrows shot up. "His Padawan? Was that –"

"Your father, yes," Padmé said, smiling at Luke's reaction. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Obi-Wan lean forward. No doubt he too was very interested in this story, as he had never known when or why she and Anakin had gotten married. "At some point, Obi-Wan was called away on another mission and he left Anakin as my sole bodyguard. In retrospect, that was probably not a very wise move."

"Why not?" Luke asked innocently.

Padmé blushed a bit but forced herself to look back at Luke. "Anakin was very clearly infatuated with me," she told him. "Perhaps Obi-Wan didn't see it, but anyone else with eyes or ears could tell."

"I knew that," Obi-Wan insisted defensively. "I just didn't think he would have been bold enough to act on his feelings. Besides, I figured you would have thwarted any of his ill-conceived advances."

"Well I tried to do that for a long time," Padmé said, looking over toward Obi-Wan with a sheepish look. "Anakin was nothing if not persistent, however." Padmé paused, smiling faintly as she recounted Anakin's endearing awkwardness. "He confessed his love for me while we were on Naboo. I rebuffed him, of course. I told him it wasn't possible and that he should move on. Nevertheless, I couldn't deny that I was falling for him as well.

Anyway, we discovered that Obi-Wan had been captured on Geonosis by the Separatists. Instead of waiting for the Jedi to send a detachment from Coruscant to rescue him, Anakin and I went by ourselves because we were closer. We were captured almost as soon as we arrived, however. While I tried to negotiate with Dooku, he refused to listen to me and decided to have all three of us executed in the arena.

As we were being carted into the arena, I finally gave in and told Anakin that I loved him as well. I figured that we were going to die anyway so there was no point in hiding my feelings anymore."

"But you didn't die," Luke said. "How?"

"The Jedi arrived just in time, although not before a Nexu scratched me across the back. I still have the scars from that."

"So that's why the shirt was sewn up!" Luke said excitedly.

"I couldn't bear to get rid of it," Padmé said. "I tried sewing it myself before giving up and asking my handmaidens to do it for me. They never understood why it mattered to me so much that I keep that outfit. I haven't looked at in decades. That's why I was so shocked to see Leia wearing it."

Just then Leia returned from the cockpit. All three of them turned to look at her. She looked a bit pale and at once made her way over toward Luke. "Are you okay?" Padmé asked. "You look a bit ill."

"I just have a headache, that's all," she said, looming over Luke and herself. "I don't think Vader is happy that we're going to Malachor."

"Has he said anything to you?" Padmé asked.

"No, but he's trying to," Leia said. "I was a bit far away from Luke when I was in the cockpit, so I could feel him trying to get to me."

"I'm sorry, I should have followed you," Luke said automatically.

"It's alright," Leia assured him. "I'm fine, really."

Luke didn't look convinced by this, but he dropped it. "Do you mind if I tell Leia what you told me?" he asked Padmé after a moment.

"If you think she would be interested," Padmé said.

"Of course she would!" Luke said emphatically.

"What are you talking about?" Leia asked.

Luke proceeded to relay the story which Padmé had just told him. Padmé watched Luke with a smile as he spoke, his face alight with enthusiasm and pride. Luke truly was adorable, she thought to herself. It was so sweet how much he admired her and Leia. Padmé's smile faded a bit as she considered why that would be. Luke had been raised on Tatooine his whole life as a moisture farmer, which was about as humble a life as one could lead. Padmé felt horrible that he had been subjected to that life. He had belonged with her, but instead Palpatine ruined everything and separated them…

"You mean to say that you actually loved each other?" Leia said, rousing Padmé from her dark thoughts.

"Hmm?" she asked, looking up at Leia's face.

"You and Vader. You loved each other?"

"Of course we did," Padmé said. "He was a different man than the one you're familiar with."

"He must have been," Leia said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Because Vader isn't capable of love. He seeks to control and that's all."

"Well I didn't fall in love with that man," Padmé said a bit defensively.

"I guess I don't understand then," Leia said, walking away from Luke so that her back was to her. "What changed? Why did he turn into Vader?"

Padmé sighed and looked over at Obi-Wan who was staring determinedly at the floor. "We don't know," she said. "Palpatine corrupted him somehow."

"Then he was a fool," Leia said acrimoniously as she turned back around to face them. "Palpatine was my master for nineteen years and he didn't break me. I was smart enough to realize that he was a monster after I learned the truth."

"Maybe he never got a chance to learn the truth like you did," Luke said. "Maybe if he hadn't died, he might have realized he had made a mistake."

"But why would he make that mistake in the first place?" Leia asked. "He had a perfect life! He was married and was going to be a father!"

"But the Jedi wouldn't allow that," Padmé said, feeling inexplicably defensive of her late husband. "Anakin never had a perfect life and never would have if he had remained in the Jedi Order."

"I don't feel any sympathy for him," Leia said. "His life couldn't have been any worse than mine."

Padmé looked away, feeling a lump form in her throat. Anakin and Leia had both had horrible childhoods. Both had been slaves to masters who abused them. But at least Anakin had been able to escape. But had he really? Perhaps from Anakin's point of view, he had still been a slave under the Jedi.

"What can I say, Leia," she said wearily. "I wish he hadn't done what he did. I wish Palpatine hadn't taken you away from me. I wish we could have had an ordinary life together."

"Me too," Leia said softly. "Me too."

* * *

Stepping off the Falcon, Leia was immediately confronted with a powerful gust of wind. Holding her hand up to her eyes, Leia leaned into the wind and walked down the ramp. Squinting, she looked around to take in their surroundings. The ground was rocky and jagged. Looking up, she saw that the dark red sky was swirling angrily above her as the storm raged. An acrid fume dominated the air, forcing Leia to breathe in through her mouth.

"Look over there," she heard Obi-Wan say from behind her. "The Sith Temple." Leia turned to look where Obi-Wan was pointing. While it was hard to see in the dark lighting, she could make out the distinctive pyramidal shape of the temple. A faint whispering seemed to be emanating from the imposing structure, although Leia couldn't make out what it was saying.

"Come on," she said faintly, her eyes fixated on the temple on the horizon. Leia took the lead, scrambling up the rocky hill with ease, Luke following close behind. Farther back, Obi-Wan and Padmé were having a harder time keeping up with the two youths.

"I'm getting too old for this," she heard Obi-Wan mutter.

As they got closer, Leia's breathing quickened with anticipation. The temple was calling to her powerfully and Leia felt as if she were in a tractor beam.

"Leia, wait up!" Luke called from behind her. Leia payed him no heed, however, too excited to slow down. Reaching the top of the hill, she paused momentarily to stare in awe at the massive Sith Temple. Craning her head, she saw a pulsating red beacon at the apex of the structure. Electricity crackled around the beacon, exuding power and strength on a par she had never before experienced.

Unable to contain her excitement any longer, Leia strode forward along the smooth path leading toward the entrance. She had nearly broken into a full sprint when her forehead erupted in pain. _**"Don't do it, Vitrius," **_Vader told her in a booming voice. _**"You're making a terrible mistake." **_

"Get out of my head!" Leia screamed, falling to her knees and pressing her palms against her temples. "I hate you so much!"

"_**Don't go into that temple!" **_

"Are you… are you afraid I'm going to kill you?" she asked, struggling to form a cohesive statement as her head pounded painfully.

"_**You don't understand." **_

"I understand plenty!" she shot back. "This is the end for you, Father!"

"Leia! Leia!"

Leia looked up to see Luke running toward her. Vader's presence disappeared as quickly as it arrived at the sight of her brother, although she still felt residual pain from the splitting headache.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Luke asked, sounding out of breath.

"I'm fine," Leia said, getting to her feet with his assistance. "Vader tried to stop me, that's all."

"That must mean we're in the right place," Luke said.

"I know it," Leia said, looking back toward the entrance of the temple. "Let's go. Stay close to me, though."

Walking side by side, Luke and Leia continued up the trail, wind billowing around them fiercely. Leia was glad she had put up her hair, otherwise it would have been impossible to see. Glancing behind her, she saw Padmé and Obi-Wan making their way towards them, perhaps a hundred meters away. Turning her head back around, Leia marveled at the giant triangular entrance. It was perhaps twenty feet tall, and the sharp, angular design inspired awe in Leia and no doubt fear for others.

"Follow me," Leia said to Luke who was looking up at the temple with great trepidation. "You have nothing to fear as long as you're with me," she told him.

The moment they crossed the threshold into the temple, the sounds of the wailing gale ceased abruptly. Suddenly everything was silent with the exception of their footsteps which echoed eerily about the large chamber.

"It's too dark, I can't see anything," Luke said. "Where are we going?"

"I don't know," Leia said. Behind her, she heard Padmé and Obi-Wan enter the temple behind them. Turning around, she saw her mother nervously gripping Obi-Wan's arm, who looked equally disconcerted.

"I think we should stick together," Leia said, and Obi-Wan nodded his head at once.

"I concur," he said, his voice sounding higher than usual. Smirking, Leia turned back away and took another step forward. When her foot landed, however, she heard a deafening crack and suddenly she was plummeting downwards through the floor.

"Leia!" she heard Luke call out from above her.

Slowing her descent with the Force, Leia came to a soft landing. Brushing herself off, she looked up to see Luke, Obi-Wan, and Padmé looking down at her.

"Are you alright?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I'm fine," Leia responded. "I'm…" Leia trailed off and looked to her left. Drawing her lightsaber, she ignited the blade which provided her with a dull red light to illuminate her surroundings. The hum of the blade sounded unnaturally loud amidst the silence.

She could see now that she was in a sort of cave. Stalagmites covered the ground, and Leia felt a rush of relief that she hadn't been impaled by one of them when she had fallen. Upon closer inspection, it seemed like she had landed on a smooth pathway, and in the distance she could see what looked like a set of stairs. Looking beyond the stairs, she saw a faint red glow in the distance. Her eyes widened as she heard the same whispering from earlier. While it was louder now, it was still unintelligible to her.

"I'm going to follow this trail," she said. "You three stay up there and keep a lookout."

"But Leia –"

"I'll be fine, Luke," Leia insisted.

"But Vader –"

"He won't hurt me now," she insisted. She felt certain of this for some reason. She could feel his excitement. His anticipation. His hunger. He too was desperately eager to follow the trail toward the mysterious red dot on the horizon. "I won't be long," she said, before turning leftward and walking up the trail.

"I have a bad feeling about this," she heard Obi-Wan say.

* * *

"_**You're not going to kill me, Vitrius." **_

Leia had been walking for five minutes when Vader returned. Much to her relief, he hadn't done anything to hurt her, but his presence was unwelcome regardless.

"Yes I will," she said defiantly. "And I don't use that name anymore."

"_**Why not?" **_Vader asked. _**"Are you ashamed of it?" **_

"No," Leia said. "I would rather be called by the name my mother chose for me than what Sidious called me."

"_**Amidala is no better than Sidious," **_Vader told her.

"You're wrong," Leia said angrily. "My mother loves me."

"_**Does she really?" **_

"More so than you ever did!"

"_**That's not true," **_Vader insisted.

"Yes it is!" Leia countered.

"_**Is that what you want to hear? That I love you?" **_

"Not anymore," Leia said. "I want nothing to do with you."

Vader said nothing to this and Leia got the distinct impression that he was hurt by this comment. Why should that matter, though? He had spent the past week hurting her! What she had said was true. She wanted nothing from Vader except his absence.

But was that really true? She had struggled to reconcile the two Vaders whom she had known her whole life. On the one hand, he could certainly be vindictive and brutal, as evidenced by his ruthless aggression over the past week. Yet she also knew that he could be protective, supportive, and even kind toward her. Luke had said that a person wouldn't hurt someone whom they loved, but was that actually true? After all, she had hurt her own mother when she had found out the truth. Maybe Vader did love her, but he was too damaged to properly show it, just like her.

"_**You need me, Vitrius," **_Vader said after a long silence.

"Stop calling me that!"

"_**I never wanted you to be named Leia, you know," **_Vader said unexpectedly. _**"Amidala chose that for you without my input." **_

"Really?" Leia said, intrigued. "What did you want to name me?"

"_**I wanted you to be named Shmi, after my mother." **_

"What about Luke? What did you want to name him?" Leia asked.

"_**We didn't know that we were going to be having twins," **_Vader said. _**"Amidala insisted that the baby was going to be a boy and I insisted it would be a girl, so we both chose a name. It was disrespectful of her not to adhere to my wish." **_

"She didn't owe anything to you," Leia said defensively. "You betrayed her."

"_**I did nothing of the sort!" **_Vader bellowed angrily. _**"She betrayed me!" **_

Leia didn't respond to this and continued plodding along up the trail, kicking a rock in front of her. "I would appreciate it if you respected my wishes and called me Leia," she said after a little while. "I understand why you don't want to, but it's what I want."

"_**Why should you care what I call you?" **_Vader growled. _**"You intend to kill me, do you not?" **_

Leia hesitated. Why did she care what Vader called her? It wasn't as if he was going to be around much longer. Maybe deep down she didn't really want him to go, even after everything he had done to her…

"No more talking," she said.

"_**Very well," **_Vader said, much to her surprise.

After ten minutes, Leia finally was close enough to make out the source of the red glow. A large, rectangular doorway lay at the end of the trail. It was engraved with elaborate carvings which emitted the faint red color. The closer she got to the door, the louder the whispers got until she could barely hear her own thoughts.

"_**The knowledge you seek is beyond that door," **_Vader told her, his own voice barely audible above the whispering.

Coming to a stop in front of the door, Leia hesitated for a moment as she contemplated how she was going to get through. No doubt she would have to demonstrate her dark side powers somehow. This was a Sith Temple, after all.

Raising her hand, Leia closed her eyes and attempted to lift the door. Focusing on the pain and suffering Vader had inflicted on her in the past week, she summoned the darkness around her. She felt her powers grow, her rage billowing fiercely within her. With a scream, she opened her eyes, expecting to see the door crushed to smithereens. Instead, her mouth fell open in shock when she saw that she hadn't made a dent in the barrier.

"But… how?" she said aloud, utterly stunned that she had failed. Had her powers been tainted by the light? Could she no longer channel the dark side of the Force now that she had renounced the Sith?

"_**I told you," **_Vader said. _**"You need me." **_

"I don't understand!" Leia said. She wasn't used to failure like this. Her powers had never let her down before!

"_**Two Force wielders are required to open the door," **_Vader explained. _**"The Rule of Two is the way of the Sith, after all." **_

Leia's eyes widened in disbelief. "What am I going to do?" she asked.

"_**I can get you through the door," **_Vader said.

"Why would you do that?" Leia asked with a frown.

"_**I will help you on the condition that you don't kill me," **_Vader said.

"But that's the whole reason why I'm here!" Leia scoffed.

"_**Then I can't help you," **_Vader said.

Stupefied, Leia stared at the glowing door in horror. She had come all this way, and now she was stuck. There had to be another way! Maybe if she got back to Obi-Wan, he would be able to help her.

"_**Obi-Wan can't help you," **_Vader said, reading her thoughts. _**"One needs to channel the dark side to get through this door." **_

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you?" Leia asked, grasping at straws now.

"_**Because you need me, Leia," **_he said. _**"You need me to defeat the Emperor." **_

"You would help me do that?" Leia asked.

"_**For you, I would do anything," **_he said.

"I don't believe you!" Leia said. "You just want me to revive you! Why else would you have hurt me so much these past few days?"

"_**I want the best for you, my child," **_Vader said. _**"You refused to listen to me when I told you to avoid Amidala, so I had to push you in the right direction. Yet you hid behind your weakling brother instead!" **_

"Luke isn't a weakling!" Leia said defensively.

"_**Please," **_Vader said dismissively. _**"He is pathetic, just like his mother." **_

"You're pathetic!" Leia shouted. "All you care about is power!"

"_**All I care about is you, Leia!" **_Vader countered. _**"I want to help you achieve your true potential! Let me help you overthrow the Emperor, and together we can rule the galaxy as father and daughter!" **_

"Never," Leia said defiantly.

Vader growled angrily and remained silent for a few moments. _**"Perhaps one additional factor may cause you to reconsider," **_he said eventually.

"What's that?" Leia asked.

"_**He's here."**_

Leia's eyes widened in shock, her whole body stiffening with fear. "The Emperor? He's here?"

"_**I warned you not to come to this place, but you refused to listen to me," **_Vader said.

"You could have told me!" Leia exclaimed, spinning around and searching her surroundings frantically. Holding her lightsaber above her head, she couldn't see very far with the dim light the weapon provided. For all she knew, the Emperor could be standing five feet in front of her and she wouldn't even know!"

"_**He called you to this temple to capture you," **_Vader said. _**"He will kill your traitorous mother, your pathetic brother, and that old fool Kenobi without hesitation." **_

"I have to get back to them! I have to protect them!"

"_**The only way back is through this door." **_Slowly, Leia turned back around and faced the luminescent door once again. _**"I want to help you, Leia. Promise not to kill me, and you can save your friends." **_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"I can't do that! There's no way!"

"_**You promised, Leia!" **_

"But –"

"_**You promised!" **_

Leia dropped the pyramidal holocron unceremoniously. The ancient vessel of knowledge tumbled to the ground and collided with a horrible clang which echoed about the circular room.

"There's no other way?" she asked.

"_**This is the only way," **_Vader said. _**"You will do this, Leia." **_

Leia put her hand to her forehead as she felt an overwhelming array of emotions hit her at once. Desperation, panic, sorrow all barraged her conscience, rendering her utterly immobile and nearly hysterical. "I… I have to help Luke! And Mom! They're in danger!"

"_**You gave me your word!" **_

"Help me!" she screamed. "Help me! Help me, please!"

Vader was silent for a moment and Leia collapsed to her knees in despair. Why had she done this? Why had she come to Malachor? Why had she promised not to kill Vader? Why couldn't she move her feet? Luke and her mother were going to die!

"_**Get up," **_Vader said gruffly. _**"The stairs are to your left." **_

Trembling, Leia stood up, stabilizing herself on the dais which had held the holocron.

"_**This isn't over," **_Vader said. _**"I will not allow you to renege on your promise." **_

Leia nodded and forced herself to run toward the stairs. Stumbling slightly on the way up, Leia fought back her growing sense of dread. She had taken so long down in the crypt. What if Sidious had already gotten to them? What if they were dead?

Reaching the top of the stairs, Leia took a deep steadying breath. Luke wasn't dead, she knew this for sure. She would have known if something had happened to him. They were too closely connected for her to not know. Surely he was fine…

Reorienting herself, Leia took off running. She had fallen through the floor somewhere around here. So where were they?

A flash of blue caused Leia to spin her head around. A hundred meters away to her left, Leia saw Obi-Wan dueling desperately with four men in cloaks, each of whom was wielding a double-bladed red lightsaber. "Inquisitors!" Leia said aloud.

"_**Stop them!" **_Vader said urgently. _**"You can't let them kill Kenobi!" **_

Leia needed no encouragement. Sprinting towards the battle, Leia leapt high into the air and landed gracefully next to Obi-Wan. With one smooth motion, she pushed away two of the Inquisitors with the Force. Producing her lightsaber, Leia spun around and blocked a blow directed at Obi-Wan's head. With lightning quickness, Leia pushed the Inquisitor's blade away and went on the offensive.

Overwhelmed by Leia's tenacity, the two Inquisitors backed away despite their numerical advantage. Deactivating their weapons, the Inquisitors disappeared into the darkness. Leia made to follow them into the shadows when a cackle in the distance caused her to freeze.

"Darth Vitrius," Sidious said. "Welcome to Malachor."

Leia took a step away so that she was standing back to back with Obi-Wan. "Show yourself, Sidious!" she called out, her eyes searching frantically in the darkness for her former master.

"I am disappointed in you, my child," Sidious said. His voice seemed to emanate from every angle, giving Leia no sense of his location.

"I don't belong to you anymore, Sidious!" Leia yelled as she and Obi-Wan walked in a circle with their lightsabers held high. "Show yourself!" she demanded once again.

"You are powerful, young one, but you still have much to learn," Sidious said. "It was far too easy for me to trick you. You walked right into my trap."

"I meant to find you!" Leia claimed. "I intend to kill you!

"Do you now?" Sidious asked casually.

"I know what you did! I know how you stole me from my mother's arms! I hate you!"

"Good, good!" Sidious said gleefully. "Use your hatred!"

"Show yourself!"

Sidious merely laughed in response, his voice ricocheting off the walls producing a horrifically cacophonous discord. "Young fool," he said eventually. "You cannot kill me."

"Leia, look out!"

Leia spun around just in time to receive a wave of blue lightning directly in the face. The blast threw Leia backward several feet where she landed on her back. While Leia was winded, she didn't feel the pain she had come to grow so familiar with. Surprised, Leia merely feigned pain, writhing on the ground so as not to let Sidious know that he had no effect on her. What was happening? Was Vader protecting her again?

After thirty seconds the barrage finally ceased. Leia opened her eyes to see Obi-Wan rush to her side. "Leia! Are you alright?" he asked, falling to his knees. Leia pushed him away and got to her feet. Standing directly in front of her was the decrepit form of Darth Sidious. She could see that he was smiling wickedly under his hood.

"You chose Kenobi over me?" he said with mirthful incredulity. "After what he did to your father? You chose him?"

"You're the one who murdered my father," Leia shot back, gripping her lightsaber tightly as she walked toward her former master. "You corrupted him and turned him against his family."

"Anakin Skywalker was weak!" Sidious proclaimed viciously. "I saved him! If it weren't for Kenobi, I would have made him the most powerful man in the galaxy!"

"So you stole me from my mother, instead," Leia said.

"You were destined for greatness!" Sidious said. "And yet you squandered it all away! For what? So that your mother could coddle you and say she loves you? Are you really that pathetic, Vitrius?"

"I want revenge for what you did to my parents," Leia said, holding her lightsaber up by her face and assuming an offensive posture. "I will destroy you once and for all."

Sidious threw his head back and laughed. "You can't touch me!" he bellowed. "I have unlimited power!" With that, Sidious raised his hands and sent a second wave of lightning at her. This time, Leia was prepared for it, however, and didn't allow it to knock her off her feet. The lightning crackled around her harmlessly, surrounding her in a blue cocoon of electricity.

Sidious' eyes widened in disbelief when his lightning had no effect on her. "How?" he asked. Leia merely smirked and raised her lightsaber over her head. With a downward slice, she sent the lightning back towards its master, throwing him off his feet. The Dark Lord landed with a heavy thud several feet away. Leia closed the gap between them quickly and held her lightsaber up to his throat.

"This is the end for you, my master," she said.

"No, no!" Sidious rasped in a guttural voice. "You won't kill me!"

Leia didn't respond and instead held her lightsaber high over her head. As she swung down, however, her blade was blocked by another red lightsaber. Furious, Leia looked up to see that two Inquisitors had jumped to Sidious' defense. Shrieking in fury, Leia engaged the two Inquisitors with a fiery tenacity. Darkness swirled about her menacingly as she disposed of the Inquisitors with ease, decapitating one of them and disemboweling the other. Looking back up, she saw that Sidious had fled during his brief window of opportunity.

"_**Obi-Wan needs help!" **_

Spinning around, she saw Obi-Wan dueling with the other two Inquisitors. Frustrated that she hadn't been able to kill Sidious when she had the chance, Leia took out her rage on the Inquisitors. Reattaching her lightsaber to her belt, she raised both of her hands upwards. Caught off guard, the two Inquisitors both dropped their weapons and were lifted into the air by their throats, kicking their legs furiously. With a jerk of her head, Leia snapped their necks and sent their lifeless bodies tumbling to the ground.

Leia looked away and continued to search for Sidious in the shadows. "Where did you go, you thieving snake!" she bellowed, her whole body coursing with unprecedented fury and power. "Face me! I want to see the look in your eyes when I kill you!" Yet Leia knew that he was gone. She had lost her opportunity to kill him. Sidious had escaped.

"Leia?"

Leia spun around to see Obi-Wan looking at her with a terrified expression. "What?" she asked irritably.

"He took them," Obi-Wan said. "Luke and Padmé. He took them."

Leia's eyes – which were no doubt burning a fierce yellow by now – widened in terror. "No," she whispered, spinning around. "No!"

"He couldn't have gotten far," Obi-Wan said, but Leia was already far ahead of him, running off toward the exit. Her feet pounded against the stone pathway powerfully, leaving imprints of her footsteps in the ground. Reaching the triangular doorway, Leia rushed outside into the storm. High in the sky, she saw an Imperial shuttle ascending into the stormy clouds.

"No!" she screamed once again. "NO!"

Falling to her knees, Leia let out another scream as she threw her fist into the ground. With a horrible crack, the stone pathway ruptured, fissures radiating outward from where her fist had hit. Placing her face in her hands, Leia was suddenly struck with a terrible wave of pain all over her body. Collapsing onto her face, Leia's shriek of pain was muffled by the cold ground.

"_**You gave me your word," **_Vader bellowed in her mind.

"I can't! I can't, I can't, I can't!" Leia wailed as her whole body was wracked with convulsions. "Please, Father! Please!"

"_**Your brother can't protect you now. Do it, or suffer my wrath." **_

"Please, Father!"

"_**DO IT!" **_

"No!"

"_**DO IT NOW! YOU NEED ME!" **_

"Leia! Leia! What's wrong?" The pain subsided a fraction as Obi-Wan reached her and pulled her up into a seated position. "What happened?" he asked, his eyes wide with concern.

"_**NOW!" **_

"I'm so sorry," she said, her face stricken with tears. "Obi-Wan, I'm so sorry."

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"_**YES!" **_

"Forgive me."

Abruptly, Leia activated her lightsaber and thrust it upward into Obi-Wan's sternum. Shocked, Obi-Wan froze for a moment as he stared at her with his mouth hanging open.

"I'm so, so sorry," she told him.

Obi-Wan looked down at the lightsaber in his chest and fell forward a bit. Leia stopped his descent with her left hand, holding him upright.

"Leia," he said hoarsely, placing his hand on the side of her face.

Leia swallowed hard and yanked the lightsaber out of Obi-Wan's chest. Deactivating the weapon, she caught Obi-Wan's lifeless form as he fell down onto her. Pushing his corpse away, Leia scrambled to her knees. Flipping the Jedi Master over onto his back, Leia looked into his dead face. Tears cascaded down her cheeks, drenching Obi-Wan's chest and neck as she continued to apologize profusely.

"_**You did well, my child," **_Vader told her. _**"You did well." **_

"I hate you," she said, her face contorted in rage and sorrow. "I hate you so much."

Vader didn't respond to this, although she could sense his mirth. All of a sudden, Obi-Wan's body began to glow. Leia put her hand to her eyes as the intensity of the light grew until it was nearly blinding her. A pleasant warmth hit the back of Leia's hand, and for the briefest moment she forgot that she was on Malachor at all. When the light faded, Leia lowered her hand and opened her eyes.

Still kneeling over Obi-Wan's body, Leia looked down and gasped. No longer was she staring into the dead face of Kenobi, but instead he had been replaced by a far more youthful visage. His eyes were closed, but his face was full of color and life unlike how Obi-Wan's had been. The young man had long, dirty blonde hair and Leia couldn't help but notice how similar he looked to Luke.

"Father?" she said tentatively.

The young man's eyes flew open and he inhaled sharply. Breathing heavily, the man smiled as his yellow eyes turned to her.

"Leia," he said. "My child."

Leia stiffened and got to her feet. Jaw clenched, she looked away from her revived father's face. Vader took a moment to get to his feet as well, but when he did he placed his hand on her cheek and forced her to look at him. Leia recoiled from his touch and slapped his hand away.

"Don't put your hands on me," she said vehemently.

"For nineteen years I have yearned to touch you with my own hand," he said, his eyes roaming over her face intensely. "Now that I am reborn, will you really rob me of that opportunity? To embrace my own daughter?"

"Get away from me," she said, taking a step back.

Vader sighed and looked down, investigating his newfound body. "Very well," he said. "I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

"You don't want to make me feel _uncomfortable_?" Leia repeated incredulously. "You tortured me! You forced me to kill Obi-Wan!"

"I did it for you!" Vader roared. "Everything I do is for you!"

"I hate you!"

"I know you do," Vader said, raising his chin defiantly. "But I will do anything for you nonetheless. Now that I have been reborn, we can do anything together! We can rule the galaxy how it's meant to be ruled!"

"I don't want that," Leia said, taking another step away from Vader. "I don't want to rule the galaxy."

"What do you want?" Vader asked.

Leia looked up at the sky where the Imperial shuttle had disappeared moments ago. "I want to rescue Mom and Luke," she said. "Will you help me do that?"

Vader contemplated her silently for a few moments. "You are destined for greatness, Leia," he said. "You mustn't tie yourself to those fools."

"You said you'd do anything for me!" Leia yelled, feeling hatred course through her veins at Vader's obstinacy. "Why won't you help me do this?"

Vader took a deep breath and closed his yellow eyes. "If that is truly what you wish," he said finally.

"It is," Leia said.

"Then I will help you," Vader said, though he sounded disappointed.

Father and daughter looked at each other silently for a few moments. Leia could help but appreciate how surreal this situation was. For the first time she was seeing her father in the flesh. For most of her life she had fantasized about something like this. When she had been a little girl she had imagined that her father was still alive and someday was going to come to rescue her from Sidious. Yet now that he was here, she wanted nothing to do with him. He was a monster who forced her to kill Obi-Wan. Looking into his piercing yellow eyes, however, Leia could see so much of herself in him. He and Luke were like personifications of her fractured identity. Luke represented the light in her whereas Vader represented the dark.

"The ship is that way," Leia said finally, pointing in the general direction of the Falcon.

"Lead the way," Vader said.

The two made the trip back to the Falcon in silence. An overwhelming sense of guilt crashed down on her as they began climbing down the jagged hill. All of this was her fault. She had been too foolish not to realize that it had been a trap. Because of her error, Luke and her mother were in terrible danger, Obi-Wan was dead, and Darth Vader had returned. It wasn't much consolation that Vader had promised to help her. She couldn't trust him in the slightest. For all she knew, he could be devising a plan right now to kill her or to return to the Emperor.

Leia was too deep in her own thoughts to realize that someone was calling her name. Only when Vader nudged her gently in the ribs did she look up and reorient herself.

"Leia? Where are the others?" Han asked from the top of the on ramp of the Falcon.

Leia swallowed hard, her lower lip trembling slightly as she looked up at Han's concerned face. "The Emperor took Luke and Mom," she said in a small voice. "And Obi-Wan is dead." Disregarding Han's stunned expression, Leia marched up the on ramp and pushed past him. "We have to go as soon as possible," she said. "Are you ready to go?"

Turning around, she saw Han eying Vader with suspicion and disconcertion. "Um… yeah," he said. "Who is this?" he asked.

"I'll explain later," Leia said wearily. "We need to leave now."

"Got it," Han said. With one last glance at Vader, Han turned around and ran down the hallway toward the cockpit. "Chewie, get us out of here!" he called out as he made a turn out of sight.

"Come on," Leia mumbled to Vader. "Let's go to the main hold."

Vader followed her down the hall. The ship lurched forward a bit, causing Leia to lose her balance. Falling forward, Vader reached out and grabbed her by the wrist. "Careful," he said, pulling her back upright.

Leia gave him a dirty look and wrenched her wrist out of his grasp. "I can look after myself," she said bitterly.

"I am your father, Leia," Vader said. "I can't help but look after you."

Leia shook her head and turned away from him. Reaching the main hold, she stopped awkwardly in the middle of the room, unsure what to do with herself. Vader took a seat by the technical station and slouched backward much like Han liked to do. "That's your mother's outfit," he said after a little while.

"So?" Leia said challengingly.

"You look nice in it," he said.

Leia frowned and looked away. She didn't understand Vader. He was being awfully nice to her right now. Yet how could she forget how much pain he had inflicted upon her? How could she forget that he had forced her to kill Obi-Wan?

"I want you to be able to trust me, Leia," he said. "Do you not remember how close we used to be?"

"That was before you decided to torture me for siding with my mother," she said stiffly.

"She's dangerous," Vader said. "You should have listened to me."

"She's not dangerous!" Leia insisted. "She's my mother!" Vader snarled and looked away, clearly struggling not to say something nasty. "Why do you hate her so much?" she asked. "What did she do to you?"

"She conspired with Kenobi to kill me!" Vader said angrily. "She betrayed me!"

"Only because you deserved it!" Leia countered. "She told me what you did! You turned into a monster!"

"I did it for her!" Vader exclaimed, jumping out of his seat abruptly. "Everything I did was for her."

"You seem to say that a lot," Leia said skeptically.

"It's true," Vader said, pacing in front of her. "When I was a boy, I told myself that I would do anything for my mother. After she died, I felt completely lost in the galaxy. Because of that, I latched myself onto Amidala. I was weak. I didn't realize how little she cared for me. She turned on me without hesitation and brought Kenobi with her to kill me."

"You're wrong," Leia said, looking back into Vader's intense eyes unflinchingly. "She did care about you."

Vader snorted and shook his head. "When did you turn into a romantic?" he asked bitingly.

"I'm not," she said. "But I can tell how much you meant to her."

"Is that what you want?" Vader asked acrimoniously. "To have your mommy and daddy together again?"

"Don't talk to me that way," Leia snarled.

"Like what? Like you're a little girl?" Vader said. "Because that's exactly what you are! You're so desperate for affection that you've latched yourself onto Amidala just like I did. You're repeating all of my mistakes!"

"I'm nothing like you," Leia said, pointing her index finger at him angrily. "I renounced Sidious. You let him ensnare you with his lies!"

"The only lie was the one I told myself!" Vader countered. "If I had seen Amidala for who she was, none of this would have happened!"

"Is that what you think? That it was all a mistake?"

"Of course!"

"Then what am I?" Leia asked. "Am I a mistake as well?"

Vader faltered, realizing his faux pas. "Of course not," he said, holding his hands up apologetically. "You mean everything to me, Leia."

"And what about Luke? Do you not care about him?" Vader lowered his hands and grumbled something unintelligible. "What was that?" she asked.

"He's a disappointment," Vader said. "He's too much like his mother."

"Well isn't he lucky," Leia said bitingly.

Leia and Vader were staring daggers at each other when Han returned from the cockpit. Relieved to have a distraction, Leia turned to him.

"I've set a course for Hoth," he said, glancing nervously at Vader. "I wasn't sure where you wanted to go."

"That's fine, Han. Thank you," she said.

"Why do you want to return to the Rebels?" Vader asked. "I thought you wanted to go after the Emperor."

"I need to find out where he's taken them. The Rebels will be helpful in that regard," Leia said. Vader shrugged but seemed to concede the point.

Han looked between Leia and Vader one more time before clearing his throat. "So… are you going to tell me what's going on?" he asked cautiously.

"What do you want to know?"

"First off, who the hell is this guy?" he asked, pointing at Vader.

"This is my father, Darth Vader," she said matter-of-factly.

Han stared at her blankly for a few moments. "He's your… father?" he said.

"That's what I said," Leia said, smirking at Han's reaction.

"But… he's like twenty years old," Han said, utterly bewildered. "That doesn't make any sense."

"I aged well, didn't I?" Vader said with an amused snort. "Turns out dying and coming back to life is great for your skin."

Han blinked furiously as he processed this bizarre statement. "You… you came back to life?" he said.

"The dark side is a pathway to many abilities, some considered to be unnatural," Vader said in a low voice with a devilish grin. "Although it helps to have a wonderful daughter to kill your mortal enemy for you, of course."

"I didn't do it for you," Leia said bitterly.

"But you did do it," Vader said, holding up his finger as if he had just made a critical point.

"I didn't want to," Leia said, placing her hands on her hips.

"Then why did you do it?" Vader asked, his eyes glinting.

"What are you two talking about?" Han asked, saving her from having to answer. "What did you do?"

Leia closed her eyes and shook her head. Obi-Wan's stunned expression was imprinted in her mind. How could she ever forgive herself?

"Leave us," Vader said curtly to Han.

"What? But –"

"Leia doesn't want to talk to you right now. Can't you see that?"

Intimidated by Vader, Han acquiesced and retreated speedily. Leia clenched her jaw and put her hand over her eyes, swaying a bit in the middle of the room. She kept replaying the horrible moment in her mind. Over and over and over…

Strong arms wrapped themselves around her trembling form. Leia stiffened but didn't recoil. After all, it felt so natural for her to relish her father's comforting embrace. He had always been there for her when she was hurting or when she was lonely. Even though he had put her through agony, she couldn't deny that she still yearned for his love. For her whole life, he had been her best and only friend. She hated him now, that was true, but perhaps she only hated him so much because of how much she loved him. Did that make any sense? Luke would have understood…

"I'm so sorry I put you through that," Vader whispered, caressing the back of her head gently. "But it had to be done. Kenobi had to die for me to be reborn."

Too exhausted to contradict him, Leia melted into his chest and started to cry.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Padmé awoke with a start. Panting heavily, she sat upright and wiped her brow which was coated with a sheen of cool sweat. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Padmé looked around the room with an increasing sense of dread. Where was she? What had happened to her? Where were the others?

Padmé strained to remember what had landed her in this situation. The last she remembered was being on Malachor. Leia had fallen through the floor, leaving her alone with Luke and Obi-Wan. What had happened after that? She couldn't remember anything…

A laugh. She remembered a horrible, sickening laugh. Could it have been…?

Suddenly, the door to the room – which she assumed was a cell – opened. Swiveling her head toward the sound, Padmé squinted heavily as the lights from the hallway blinded her. Holding her hand to her eyes, Padmé saw two Imperial soldiers in black uniforms carrying an unconscious man by his armpits.

"Luke!" Padmé exclaimed, jumping to her feet as the soldiers unceremoniously shoved Luke to the ground and left. The door closed behind them, drowning her in darkness once more.

"Luke!" she cied again, falling to her knees and pulling Luke up into a seated position. She stood back up and dragged him across the room toward the bench. Unable to pick him up, she instead propped him up against the side of the bench. Leaning over, she took his face in her hands and inspected him frantically. Much to her relief, he seemed to be unharmed.

From behind her, she heard the door open once again. Spinning around, she stood in front of Luke and held her arms out wide. "You won't touch him!" she yelled when two Stormtroopers walked in. "I won't let you –"

"Senator Amidala, it is truly an honor to see you again."

Padmé froze. Standing in the doorway was the Emperor himself. The man who had stolen her family from her. The man whom she despised more than anything.

"Palpatine," she spat.

The Emperor merely smiled sickly in response.

* * *

Upon returning to Hoth, Leia was surprised to see Senator Organa awaiting them in the hangar. As Leia descended the ramp, she hesitated when she saw his mutilated face. Glancing behind her at Vader who was right behind her, she swallowed hard and looked back at Organa who was looking at her expectantly.

"Viceroy," she greeted when she reached the end of the ramp.

Organa nodded and looked behind her. "Where is your mother?" he asked.

"Why should you care?" Vader asked lowly, side stepping Leia so that he was standing directly in front of Organa.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid we haven't…" Organa trailed off when he looked into Vader's face a bit closer. His eyes widened and he took a step back. "Skywalker?" he mouthed.

"Senator Organa," Vader said with a slight smirk. "It's been a while."

"How?" he asked hoarsely.

Vader smirked once again and looked at Leia. "Is this man annoying you?" he asked.

"No!" Leia said quickly. "Everything is fine."

"Very well," Vader said with a shrug.

Bewildered, Organa turned back to Leia. "What is going on?" he asked. "Where is Padmé?"

"The Emperor took her and Luke," she said quickly, pushing past the lump in her throat.

"And what about Obi-Wan?" he asked, his eyes wide with horror.

"Dead," Vader said bluntly.

Organa covered his mouth with his hand. Leia looked down, not wanting to answer the impending question. Organa remained silent, however, evidently too stunned to speak.

"Come on, Leia," Vader said, taking her gently by the arm. "Let's go inside."

"Wait!" Organa said when Vader made to push past him. "I can't let you go into the base."

"Is that so?" Vader asked menacingly, releasing Leia's arm and taking a step toward Organa.

Organa gulped but stood his ground. "Not before you explain everything to Mothma and Master Yoda," he said.

"Yoda?" Vader said. "So he's still alive, is he?"

"He survived the purges, yes."

Vader snarled and turned away from Organa. "Typical," he said bitterly. "Very well. Take me to him."

* * *

"Step aside from the boy."

"No! You won't take him from me!" Padmé said, her arms held out wide to defend her son from this monster.

"Senator, be reasonable," Palpatine said.

"No!"

"Very well," Palpatine said with a sigh. With a flick of his wrist, Padmé was sent flying into the wall. She hit her shoulder hard and crumpled into a heap on the ground.

"Wake him," she heard Palpatine say.

"Don't touch him!" Padmé said, struggling into a seated position with her back against the wall. The Stormtroopers of course ignored her. The one farthest from her produced some kind of a taser, the end of the wand crackling with white electricity. "No!" Padmé screamed as the Stormtrooper jammed the device into Luke's neck.

Luke awoke with a shriek of pain. The Stormtrooper retreated at once, still holding the taser at his side. Breathing heavily, Luke's eyes darted around the room frantically as he adjusted to the darkness. Seeing the long shadow in front of him, Luke pulled his knees into his chest and looked up at the Emperor with a terrified expression.

"Luke Skywalker," Palpatine said. "The _other _one."

Padmé made an attempt to get to her feet, but the Stormtrooper closest to her pulled out an identical taser and threatened her with it.

"What do you want from us?" Luke asked.

"I want to know how you did it," Palpatine said, taking a step into cell, engulfing Luke entirely with his shadow. "How did you steal my apprentice from me?"

"We treated her like a human," Luke said, staring up at Palpatine's marred face defiantly. "We showed her we loved her."

Palpatine made a tutting sound and shook his head. "Young fool," he said. "Vitrius doesn't know love."

"You're wrong!" Luke said loudly.

Palpatine took another step forward and leaned over so that he was directly in Luke's face. Disgusted, Luke tried to back away but was impeded by the bench behind him. "Vitrius is mine," Palpatine said in a whisper, barely audible over the crackling of the tasers. "She belongs by my side."

"She doesn't bow down to you anymore," Luke said.

Palpatine snarled and stood back upright. "You will bring her back to me," he said.

"Never!" Luke spat.

"I'm afraid your compliance isn't necessary," Palpatine said. "If she really cares about you like you claim, she will come to rescue you."

"She'll kill you!" Luke said.

"If she tries to do that, you will die, young Skywalker," Palpatine said. "You are my bargaining chip."

Luke's eyes widened as he realized Palpatine's plan. "You're a monster!" he screamed.

Palpatine tilted his head as he considered Luke for a moment. "I am _the _Monster," he said. With that, Palpatine raised his hands and sent a wave of blue electricity at Luke.

"No!" Padmé shrieked. As she attempted to jump to her feet to defend Luke, the Stormtrooper stopped her by ramming the taser into her ribs. Padmé fell to the ground once more while Luke writhed in pain in front of her.

"Stop! Please, stop!" she cried, crawling forward in a desperate attempt to place herself between Palpatine and Luke. The Stormtrooper kicked her hard in the stomach and yanked her up by her hair. "Please!" she screamed as the Stormtrooper threw her back against the wall. "Don't hurt him!"

Palpatine merely cackled at her pleading.

* * *

Vader was slouching in his chair, staring up at the icy ceiling with a bored expression. Leia watched him with a mixture of amusement and disdain. Vader tilted his head to see her looking at him. He smiled languidly and winked at her. "Politicians are the worst," he said. "They'll keep you waiting for hours on end."

"Mother is a politician," Leia said shortly.

"The point stands," Vader said, craning his head back toward the ceiling.

Leia opened her mouth to issue a retort when the door to the conference room opened. Swiveling her head, Leia stood up at once when Mothma walked in, followed closely by Yoda. Vader sat upright in his chair but made no move to stand up.

"Master Yoda," he said evenly.

Yoda narrowed his eyes at Vader, yet despite his cool outward demeanor, Leia could sense the grandmaster's shock at Vader's miraculous return. "Anakin Skywalker," he said. "Or should I call you Darth Vader?"

"Doesn't matter to me," Vader said with a lackadaisical shrug.

"How is this possible?" Mothma asked. "I thought you were dead."

"And yet here I am. Back in the _flesh_," he said, emphasizing the last word with a harsh hiss.

Disconcerted, Mothma looked down at Yoda who was staring back at Vader intently. When Yoda took a step forward, Vader finally stood up and produced Obi-Wan's lightsaber.

"I wouldn't try anything," he said with a steely edge to his voice. Yoda ignored him, however, and took another step forward.

"Much anger, I sense in you, young Skywalker," Yoda said.

"What an astute observation, Master Yoda," Vader said sarcastically. When Yoda took one more step, Vader activated Obi-Wan's blade and held it out in front of him. "Not another step," he said through gritted teeth.

Yoda eyed the blue blade with curiosity. "The blade of the Sith, you have not," he said.

Vader gave Yoda a sinister smile. "I borrowed this from my old master," he said. "He won't be needing it anymore."

Yoda looked down and sighed heavily. "Killed Obi-Wan, you did. Stolen his life force, have you?"

"Something like that," Vader said.

All of a sudden, Leia's whole body erupted in pain. Screaming out, she fell to the ground. "Leia!" Vader exclaimed, rushing to her side.

_Stop! Please stop!_

_**Return to me, Vitrius. **_

_Don't hurt him!_

_**Your brother will suffer. **_

_Please! Hurt me instead! _

_**Your mother will die. **_

_I'll do anything! Stop! Please, stop! _

_**And I will destroy everything you love.**_

_Luke! Luke! _

_**If you do not return to my side. **_

"Leia!"

Leia opened her eyes with a start. Taking a huge gulp of air, she acclimated herself to her surroundings. She had fallen over onto the icy ground in the conference room. Vader was holding her quaking body, down on his knees by her side. Directly in front of her stood Yoda who was eying her with trepidation.

"Pain," he mumbled to himself. "So much pain."

"Leia, can you hear me?" Vader asked, his voice panicky.

Leia nodded her head as she sat upright in Vader's arms. "I'm okay," she said faintly.

"What happened?" Vader asked, cradling the back of her head with his left hand. Vaguely, Leia realized she should have objected to this treatment, but she was too shaken to consider it. For perhaps the first time in her life, she was able to feel like a child, utterly and absolutely submitted to her father's care.

"Luke is in pain," she said. "He's torturing him."

"Sidious?" Vader asked grimly. Leia nodded her head and closed her eyes tight as a fresh wave of pain hit her.

_Now you will tell me what I need to know. _

_Don't… please don't touch her. _

_Where are they, Senator? _

_I'll never tell you. _

_Tell me! _

_Mom! No!  
_

_Tell me!_

_Never!_

_Stop! Stop hurting her! _

_Where are they?_

_Hoth! They're on Hoth!_

_Luke, no!  
_

_Thank you, Skywalker. You have been most helpful. _

Leia opened her eyes once again, tears streaming down her cheeks. This was a different kind of pain. This was purely psychological, and it hurt just as much.

"Leia?"

"He's torturing both of them," Leia said, her voice shaky. "Luke and Mom."

"Where are they?" Vader asked.

Leia blinked a few times and looked up toward Mothma who was watching from the corner of the room with a horrified expression. "He's coming," she said. "He knows."

"He knows? What does he know?" Vader asked.

"He knows where the base is," Leia said. "The Death Star will be here within the day."

* * *

"Mom! Mom, are you alright?"

Palpatine had finally left after having tortured both him and his mother with that horrible blue lightning. Padmé was sprawled out on the ground and her whole body was trembling.

"You… you shouldn't have told him," she said faintly as Luke helped her up to a sitting position.

"I couldn't let him torture you!" Luke said. "I had to do something!"

Padmé reached up and cupped Luke's cheek with her hand. "You're so much like your father," she whispered. Closing her eyes, her hand suddenly went slack and her head lolled back.

"Mom?" Luke said. "Mom! Mom!" Luke shook his mother's still body, panic beginning to set in. "Mom!" he screamed again. Hyperventilating, Luke somehow managed to get to his feet. Reaching down, he scooped his mother up and placed her down on the metal bench. For some reason, Luke's fevered mind couldn't help but appreciate that this was how he had first met her: on a bench in a cell on the Death Star.

Luke's terror finally abated when he saw that Padmé was still breathing, albeit faintly. Placing his finger to her neck, Luke struggled to make out a pulse for a few moments. Finally he caught a faint flutter and Luke sighed in relief. She was alive, but barely it seemed. She was older and smaller than him. No doubt, she wasn't as able as Luke was to sustain Palpatine's torture.

"I'm here, Mom," he whispered to her, tears flowing down the bridge of his nose. "Don't leave me, please."

* * *

Leia was breathing heavily as Vader pressed his index finger against her forehead which was damp with sweat despite the chill of the room. Vader winced as he began to siphon her pain away as he used to do when she was a child. Leia's whole body slackened while Vader's stiffened. After thirty seconds, Vader tore his finger away, his face scrunched in pain which he had taken from Leia.

"Are you okay?" Leia asked, disentangling herself from Vader's arms so that she could support him now. Vader closed his eyes tight and nodded. "You didn't have to do that," she told him. "I can manage on my own."

"No," Vader said through gritted teeth. "I was wrong to hurt you, Leia. I feel terrible about that now. I will do anything in my power to protect you."

"You… you're sorry?" she said, utterly stunned. Her father had never apologized for anything as far as she knew. He had always insisted that he was right and that he knew best for her. In fact, she had never even comprehended the concept of forgiveness until her mother forgiven her last week for strangling her.

Vader opened his eyes and looked up at her. Leia caught her breath when she saw that his eyes were a vibrant blue, rather than yellow. "I am sorry," he said. "I am so sorry for everything I did to you."

All the while, Yoda was watching this curious interaction with great interest. "Love your daughter, you do?" he asked.

Vader's eyes reverted back to yellow as he turned to face the Grandmaster. "More than anything," he said stiffly.

Yoda took a step forward so that he was actually looking down at them as they were still on the floor. "Then a Sith, you are not," Yoda said. "For a Sith does not know love."

"I don't care what you call me," Vader said, grimacing slightly as he propped himself upright with Leia's assistance. "Jedi. Sith. Light. Dark. I don't give a damn about any of it."

Yoda looked at Vader silently for a long while. "The Chosen One," he said finally. "Returned, he has."

Leia felt Vader tense up in her arms, clearly irritated by being called this. "The Chosen One is dead," he said through gritted teeth. "Kenobi killed him long ago."

"Then who are you?" Yoda asked.

"I am Leia's father," Vader said without hesitation. "That's all that matters to me now."

"Hmm," Yoda said, stroking his chin absently with his left hand. "One and the same, they are."

Vader sneered at Yoda as he struggled to his feet, his hand digging painfully into Leia's shoulder to support himself. "You're a hypocrite," he said maliciously to Yoda. "When I was nine years old you wanted nothing to do with me. You and the rest of the Jedi alienated me and treated me like an outsider for my whole life. Now that I've returned you want to use me."

"Changed, you have," Yoda said, craning his neck to look into Vader's eyes. "Gone, that boy is. The Chosen One, you have become."

"Get out of my way."

Yoda frowned at Vader but nonetheless obliged, shuffling a few steps to the side. Leia gave him one last curious glance before helping her enfeebled father out of the room.

* * *

After having deposited her father in her room, Leia returned to the conference room where she knew Mothma was holding an emergency session. Without knocking, Leia strode through the door. Every head turned to look at her and Leia had a flash of déjà vu as she remembered making a very similar arrival on the Death Star after having found the location of the first Rebel Base. So much had changed since then…

"Ms. Skywalker, why are you interrupting this session?" Mothma asked from the head of the table.

Surprised at being referred to as this, Leia faltered for a moment. "Um… I'm sorry for intruding, Senator, but I didn't get to finish telling you what I know."

"Can it wait?" Mothma asked with a hint of irritation.

"I'm afraid not," Leia said, digging her fingernails into her thigh to force herself to remain cordial with the Senator. Mothma clenched her jaw but made no objection, allowing Leia to continue. "Both my brother and my mother have been taken by the Emperor," she said. "I would like to attempt to rescue them."

"Absolutely not," Mothma said at once. "I will not allow you to jeopardize this base."

"Jeopardize? How would that jeopardize anything?"

"We intend to offer our formal surrender at twelve hundred standard hours," Mothma said stiffly. "We will make sure that Senator Amidala and her son are released. There is no need for you to play any part in these proceedings."

Leia's mouth fell open in disbelief. "You're surrendering?" she asked incredulously. "You can't do that!"

"We have no other choice," Mothma said.

"You have a choice! You could fight back!"

"A true rebel knows when it is time to give up," Mothma said coolly. "We have lost. We cannot win this fight."

"You're a coward and a fool!" Leia shouted. "Sidious will destroy this base and he will kill my family! Surrender isn't an option!"

"It is the only option!"

"It's cowardice!"

"Leave this room at once," Mothma said, standing from her chair and pointing to the door. "You have no place on this council."

"You're making a mistake!"

"Guards, escort this woman," Mothma said, looking beyond Leia.

"Don't listen to her!" Leia yelled to the stunned men and women seated at the table in front of her. "Surrendering won't save you! Get your hands off me!"

Two Rebel soldiers from behind her attempted to grab her arms, but Leia shook them off. When they pulled out their blasters, Leia dismissed them with a casual wave of her hand, sending them flying into the back wall with a deafening crack.

"If you want this Rebellion to survive, you will begin evacuation immediately," she said, holding a finger up at Mothma who was seething at Leia.

"Don't tell me how to do my job," she said furiously. "Leave at once."

"You disgust me, Mothma," Leia said viciously. "My mother would not condone your cowardice, and neither should anyone at this table." With that, Leia spun around and marched out of the room, passing the unconscious soldiers without a second glance.

Enraged, Leia stormed back toward her room. Rebels shied away from her in fear as she barreled down the hallways. She couldn't believe that Mothma was going to surrender! Was she really this naïve? Did she honestly think that the Emperor would spare her and the Rebellion if they surrendered? Sidious would accept their surrender gleefully and then proceed to annihilate Hoth with one blast from the Death Star. Leia couldn't let that happen!

"Leia! Leia, wait!"

Leia stopped abruptly and spun around. Bail Organa was running toward her, waving his hands in the air frantically to gain her attention.

"What do you want?" she growled when he stopped in front of her.

Organa held up his hand and doubled over a bit as he regained his breath. "I… I want to help you," he panted. "I can… I can lend you my ship."

Leia narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Organa. "Why?" she asked. "Won't Mothma disapprove?"

"She doesn't have to know," Organa said. "I think she's wrong to surrender. Palpatine won't be merciful to us even if we do raise the white flag."

"Exactly my thinking," Leia said, raising her chin as she reconsidered the Viceroy.

"What is your plan?" he asked. "How do you intend to rescue Luke and Padmé?"

Leia frowned and looked away. "I'm not sure," she said honestly. "But I have a trick up my sleeve which Sidious won't be expecting."

"What's that?" Organa asked.

"I have Vader," she said with a slight smile.

Organa pursed his lips, clearly skeptical. "Are you sure you can trust him?" he asked. "He's a Sith Lord, after all."

"So am I," Leia said.

"Well, technically. But…"

"But what?"

"I can tell that you are your mother's daughter," Bail said. "You're not evil like Vader is."

Leia raised an eyebrow. "Do you not remember when I strangled you?" she asked.

Organa smiled sheepishly at her. "No, I do not forget that," he said. "But that doesn't compare to what Vader did. I lived through the Purges. I remember seeing the horrible things that monster did."

Leia flinched involuntarily as she felt an instinctive surge of defensiveness toward her father. She shook her head and bit back an angry retort. "I trust him," she said finally. "He may be a Sith, but he is also my father and he will do anything for me."

"Is that so?" Organa asked skeptically.

"It is," Leia said confidently. "Now, will you help us or not?"

"Of course I will," Organa said. "I assume you will want to leave as soon as possible?"

"That's correct," Leia said. "As soon as I tell Father the news."

"Alright. I'll be in the hangar."

"We'll be there shortly," Leia said, spinning away from him and walking down the hallway toward her room. "And Viceroy," she said, looking back around at him. "Thank you. For everything."

Organa bowed his head slightly before turning around as well and leaving in a hurry. Leia watched him depart for a few moments before continuing on to her room. Without knocking, she opened the door with a press of a button on the wall. With a snap of her fingers, she turned the lights on and strode toward the bed where she had left Vader a few minutes prior.

Squinting heavily, Vader propped himself up on his elbows. Looking irritated at having been woken up so rudely, Vader opened his mouth to object but Leia interrupted him.

"Mothma plans to surrender to the Emperor," she said, getting straight to the point.

"That's a dumb thing to do," Vader said bluntly.

"It's asinine," Leia said, pacing in front of the bed as Vader got into a seated position. "But it means we have to get onto the Death Star as soon as possible."

"And then what?" Vader asked.

Leia stared at him blankly for a few moments. "Save Luke and Mom," she said. "I thought you said you were going to help me."

"I am," Vader said. "But how exactly are you going to do this?"

"I don't know," Leia said impatiently. "But that doesn't matter right now!"

"Do you intend to kill Sidious?"

Leia paused at this. "I would certainly like to," she said.

"And then what?"

"I don't know!" Leia said again.

"We need to have a plan, Leia," Vader said. "We can't just barge in there and expect to succeed. Sidious will be expecting you to do something rash."

"Since when did you care about planning? Obi-Wan said you never planned ahead."

"Anakin Skywalker never planned ahead," Vader said, holding up his index finger at her. "He was a fool."

Leia gave an exasperated sigh and looked up at the ceiling. "Fine," she said. "We need a plan. Have any ideas?"

"The key advantage we have at the moment is that Sidious doesn't know about me," Vader said, picking up a pillow and placing it in his lap. "We ought to use his ignorance to our advantage."

"He said he would kill Mom if I didn't return to his side," Leia said. Vader stiffened at this comment and his eyes flared angrily.

"He said he would kill her?" Vader asked with a steely edge to his voice.

"Yes," Leia said, intrigued by Vader's astringent reaction. He was very clearly protective of Padmé despite insisting that he hated her. He had been outraged when Tarkin had threatened to destroy Naboo and now he was equally furious at Sidious for threatening her. Was it possible that Vader still loved her?

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I didn't want to tell you in front of Mothma and Yoda," Leia explained.

"Fair enough," Vader grumbled. "So how are we going to get there?"

"Organa's offering us his ship," Leia said.

"He is?" Vader said, a barely perceptible hint of irritation seeping into his voice. "That's awfully… kind of him."

"Is there a problem?" Leia asked.

"No," Vader said quickly. "Of course not."

Leia furrowed her brow as she scrutinized Vader's innocent expression. It was subtle, but she could sense her father's resentment of the Viceroy. Could it be that he was jealous? After all, Organa had been Padmé's closest companion for two decades, far longer than Vader had ever been with her.

"Shall we get going?"

"Yes, let's," Leia said, deciding not to broach the subject of Vader's jealousy.

Five minutes later, Leia and Vader were walking as fast as they could toward Organa's ship in the hangar. Leia kept glancing behind her, sure that there would be an attempt to stop them. Mothma no doubt would have a lookout on her after their explosive conversation earlier. Leia knew there was little Mothma could do to stop her or her father, but she was on edge nonetheless.

They made it to the Viceroy's ship without incident however. Organa looked up when he heard the crunching sound of their footsteps on the snowy floor. Organa had wrapped himself in a long brown cloak, as much to keep warm as to hide his identity. If Mothma found out he was helping them get to the Death Star, she would have him arrested without a doubt. In a way, Organa was committing treason by assisting them.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked her, pointedly not looking at Vader whom she knew he was ambivalent about.

"Yes," Leia said with a bob of her head.

Organa nodded and pressed a button on the holopad in his hands. With a hiss, the on ramp to the sleek vessel began to unfurl. Leia glanced around again, hoping against hope that nobody would notice…

"Stop them!"

Leia spun around fully to see a small contingent of Rebel soldiers rushing toward them with blasters in hand.

"Go!" Organa yelled, dropping the holopad and producing a blaster from his belt. "Get on the ship!"

Leia and Vader ignored him as they simultaneously drew their lightsabers. Leia's red blade crossed in front of Organa, deflecting a bolt which would have hit his shoulder. To her left, she saw Vader throw four soldiers into the air with a flick of his wrist. Stunned by this display of power, the Rebels all fell back and took up defensive positions behind X-Wings and A-Wings.

"Go now!" Organa yelled, firing back at the Rebels with his own blaster.

"We can't leave you!" Leia said, deflecting several more bolts with ease. "They'll kill you!"

"No, they won't. Go now while you still can!"

"Leia, let's go!" Vader yelled. Turning his back on the Rebels, Vader blocked a bolt behind his back before running up the fully extended ramp. "Come on!" he yelled to her when he reached the top.

Leia hesitated a moment longer before turning and running after her father. Seeing that she was following him, Vader turned and rushed into the vessel. As Leia leapt onto the ramp and began running up, she heard Organa grunt in pain.

"Bail!" she shouted, spinning around to see that the Viceroy had fallen to his knees, his shoulder still smoldering from where a bolt had just hit him. Leia rushed back down the ramp toward him. Still wielding his blaster, Bail continued to fire at the Rebels despite his injury.

"Go!" he shouted when he saw her running toward him.

"Leia!"

Looking back up the ramp, she saw Vader standing in the entrance to the ship.

"Leave him!"

"Listen to your father!" Organa said.

"I'm not leaving you!" Leia cried, jumping in front of him to deflect oncoming fire.

"You have to go!" Organa shouted.

"Leia!"

"Go!"

With a growl, Leia deflected one last bolt before dropping her lightsaber and holding up both of her hands. With a shout, she unleashed a tidal wave of force toward the Rebels. The ships which the soldiers were hiding behind went flying backward, taking all of the Rebels with them. With a horrible crash, the ships collided into the back wall.

"You're coming with me!" Leia said, turning around to face Organa who was clutching his injured shoulder.

"No," he said, his mutilated face contorted with pain. "I'll be fine. You have to go now."

"Leia, come on!"

Leia considered defying Organa's wishes and taking him anyway, but ultimately decided against it. "We'll come back for you," she said, picking up her discarded lightsaber and reattaching it to her belt.

Organa nodded his head and bit down on his tongue hard. "Go," he said once again.

With one last glance behind her at the carnage she had caused, Leia took off running toward the ship, leaving the wounded Viceroy behind. "We'll come back for you!" she shouted again as she jumped onto the ramp.

* * *

Leia rotated her left shoulder gingerly as she stared off into space blankly. Her wound had healed remarkably quickly, but she still was experiencing some discomfort when she moved it. She wouldn't have been thinking about the pain at all had it not been for Organa. He too had been shot in the left shoulder. He had now risked his life on two occasions to protect her. The Viceroy truly was a remarkable man…

"Can you handle the ship? I need to check on something."

Leia looked up quickly to see Vader standing over her, having stood up from the pilot's seat. "Sure," she said in a small voice.

Vader nodded and walked away, leaving her alone in the cockpit. Leia sighed and looked back out the window at the empty space. The Death Star had yet to arrive in the system, so Vader had placed the ship into orbit around Hoth, orienting the ship on the opposite side of the planet from where the Rebel base was so as to avoid the surface-based ion cannon.

She had left him behind. How could she have done that? After everything Organa had done for her, she had left him behind perhaps to die. Would the Rebels kill him for his act of treason? She hoped not, but she couldn't know for sure.

Guilt wasn't an emotion she had ever been familiar with as a child. What did she ever have to feel guilty about? Sidious had forced her to do horrible things, yes, but those were always his fault and not hers. Now that she was independent, Leia couldn't blame things on her master like she had used to. It was far easier to be a monster on a leash than it was to be a monster acting on their own volition.

She had strangled her mother. She had killed Obi-Wan. And now she had abandoned Organa. Luke and Padmé insisted that she was a good person, but how come she kept committing these horrible acts? If she truly was a good person, she wouldn't have let any of these things happen.

Leia closed her eyes tight. Her past life, while miserable, had been much easier. She never had to consider the consequences of her actions. All she had to do was listen to her master or to her father. If they told her to kill someone, she did it. That was all there was to it. There was no good or bad in that world. Only orders.

Part of her longed to return to that state of moral apathy. She didn't like feeling bad about herself. She didn't like feeling guilty about leaving Organa behind.

But on the other hand, she knew she couldn't ever return to that life. While she had been shielded from ever having to feel guilt, she had also been prevented from experiencing positive emotions, like love or friendship. Meeting Luke and Padmé had changed all that. Now she knew what it was to love. If guilt was the consequence for discovering love, Leia would have to accept that without complaint.

But it wasn't that easy. All her life had been pain, and she instinctively sought to avoid it at all costs. Guilt was a type of pain to her. She had grown numb to most forms of physical pain by now, but psychological pain was something different altogether. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw her mother clawing at her own throat, unable to breathe. She would see Obi-Wan's stunned expression as she yanked her lightsaber out of his chest. She would see Organa wincing in pain as he clutched his injured shoulder.

Why couldn't she be free of this pain? Why did it torment her perpetually? Why? Why? Why!

She couldn't deny it. She felt it. The call to apathy. The call to numbness. The call to freedom. Freedom from pain. Freedom from responsibility. Freedom from torment.

Darth Vitrius felt the call to the dark side.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Remember the plan," Vader said to her for the umpteenth time.

"I know," she said through gritted teeth. "And if we were following the plan, you would be hiding right now."

"Good point," Vader said, although he made no movement. Leia looked up at him and gave him a reassuring smile.

"I'll be fine," she said. "Now go."

Vader gave her one last concerned look before turning around and leaving. Leia watched him leave for a few moments, yet spun around quickly when the ship lurched a bit and the ramp in front of her began to unfurl.

"Come out of the ship with your hands in the air!"

Leia smirked and waited for the ramp to completely deploy. Below her stood an entire phalanx of Stormtroopers, the blasters all pointed directly at her. Leia's smirk transformed into a snarl when she laid eyes on the ostentatiously uniformed admiral who was standing in front of the line of Stormtroopers.

"Admiral Motti," Leia said bitterly.

"Lord Vitrius," Motti said with a smile. "A pleasure."

"I wish I could say the same," Leia said, her eyes glinting as she remembered her mother saying the very same thing to Tarkin.

"The Emperor is expecting you," Motti said, his phony smile wavering a bit. "Don't make this any more difficult than it has to be."

Narrowing her eyes, Leia began to walk down the ramp toward Motti. "Put your hands up!" Motti yelled once again.

Leia made a tutting sound with her tongue and continued to walk toward the terrified admiral. "Now, now, Admiral," she said. "You and I both know that there is nothing you can do to contain me. Why don't you drop the façade of control."

"I _am _in control," Motti spat. "I command this battle station, Vitrius. Not you."

"For now," Leia said, coming to a stop in front of Motti, her arms still defiantly by her sides.

"Your weapon," Motti said, boldly holding out his hand.

Leia looked down at Motti's extended hand and snorted in amusement. "It's a good thing you're wearing gloves, Admiral. I wouldn't want your slimy skin touching my lightsaber." With that, Leia reached down to her belt, produced her lightsaber, and thrust it into Motti's outstretched hand.

Motti's fingers wrapped around her prized possession tightly. He considered the weapon for a moment before lowering his hand and looking back down at her. "Your hands," he said stiffly.

"Please," Leia scoffed. "Binders? Are you really that insecure?"

"Your hands," Motti repeated.

Leia rolled her eyes yet nonetheless obliged, holding out her hands to Motti. Trading her lightsaber for a pair of binders from the Stormtrooper commander to his right, Motti applied the binders to her wrists. The restraints snapped into place with a beep, the little blue light in the cross-section turning red.

"Satisfied?" Leia asked. Motti sneered at her yet said nothing. He was fully aware that these binders were completely for show. If Leia wanted to get out of them, she could do it in a second.

"Search the ship," Motti ordered.

"Yes, sir," the Stormtrooper commander said.

"Come with me, Lord Vitrius," Motti said, a smug look on his face. "The Emperor is waiting for you."

* * *

Luke was pacing back and forth in the cell when he heard his mother stir from the bench.

"Luke?" she said faintly.

Pivoting, Luke rushed to her side and fell to his knees. "How do you feel?" he asked.

Padmé winced as she sat upright and swung her legs off the bench. "Sore," she said. "But I'll be alright."

"Are you sure?" Luke asked, placing a hand on her knee. "You really scared me."

Padmé smiled weakly at him and placed her hand atop his. "I'll live," she said. Her smile faded as she looked away from Luke's concerned face. "If we get out of here, that is."

"We'll be fine," Luke insisted. "Leia is coming for us."

"How do you know?" she asked with a frown.

"I can sense it," Luke said. "She's here."

Instead of looking relieved, Padmé bit her lower lip and removed her hand from Luke's as she crossed her arms in front of her. "I hope she knows what she's doing," she said.

"Don't worry," Luke said. "She won't stop at anything to save us."

Padmé gave him a worried look. "That's what I'm afraid of," she said.

* * *

Leia held her head high as Motti led her into an elevator toward the throne room. Two Stormtroopers followed them, two blasters trained on her back ready to fire if she made any wrong move.

"You sicken me, Vitrius," Motti said as the elevator doors closed in front of them. Leia smirked yet said nothing to this. "Tarkin was my mentor, you know. He was a great man. And you killed him without any –"

Motti ceased talking abruptly, his tongue forced against the roof of his mouth.

"Tarkin was a disgusting creature," Leia said, eyeing Motti contemptuously. "And you're no better, Motti."

Leia released Motti's fowl tongue when the elevator came to a stop. Furious, Motti pushed her out of the elevator when the doors opened. Leia bit her tongue, forcing herself to remain calm. Motti wasn't worth getting angry about. Her anger should be directed solely at the man who was now directly in front of her.

Stepping out of the elevator, Motti led Leia up a set of steps toward the Emperor who was seated in a black throne overlooking a massive window. As they approached, the Emperor's throne swiveled around to face them.

"Darth Vitrius," Sidious said, tapping his spindly fingers together in front of his decrepit face. "I see you have returned."

"Only because I had to," she said, raising her chin defiantly.

Next to her, Motti bowed deeply. "My liege," he said.

"You have done well, Admiral," Sidious said. Motti stood upright and produced Leia's lightsaber. "Ah," Sidious said. "Her lightsaber. Very good. Give it to me."

Sidious extended his pale hand and Motti took a step forward to give it to him. Leia flinched when Sidious took her weapon, disgusted that Sidious' flesh was making contact with her prized possession. Sidious turned the hilt over in his hand one full rotation before looking back up at Motti.

"Leave us," he said bluntly.

Surprised at this abrupt dismissal, Motti opened his mouth to object but wisely decided against it. Motti groveled before Sidious one more time before spinning around and leaving, the Stormtrooper escorts following him toward the elevator. Leia stared back at Sidious with her jaw clenched, neither of them saying anything until Motti had left.

Finally, Sidious spoke. "There has been a great disturbance in the Force," he said, setting her lightsaber aside on the armrest of his matte black throne. Leia said nothing, her eyes drifting to her lightsaber.

"Forgive me," Sidious said suddenly. With a wave of his hand, the useless binders fell from her wrists to the floor. Leia curled her wrist a bit as circulation returned to her hands. "Now where was I?" Sidious said conversationally.

"The disturbance," Leia said, placing her hands behind her back and standing up straighter.

"Yes, yes," Sidious said contemplatively. "A massive shift amongst the Darkness. Have you felt it?"

"Where are Luke and Mom?" Leia asked, ignoring Sidious' question. "Are they safe?"

Sidious frowned at her. "I ask the questions here, my young apprentice," Sidious said irritably.

"You said they would be safe if I returned to you," Leia said. "I'm back. Now you should release them."

"Have you returned to me?" Sidious asked, looking away from her languidly.

"Yes," Leia forced herself to say.

"Liar," Sidious said, looking back at her angrily. "You despise me. I can sense your hatred."

"I've always hated you," Leia said truthfully. "Nothing has changed."

"Everything has changed," Sidious countered. "Tell me what is the cause of this disturbance." When Leia said nothing, Sidious stood up from his throne. "Tell me!" he bellowed, his raspy voice creating a cacophonous echo in the vast room.

Sidious picked up her lightsaber and began walking away from her. "If you do not tell me, your family will suffer," he said.

"I don't know," Leia lied. "I thought you caused it."

Sidious spun around to face her, his yellow eyes shining fiercely. "Don't lie to me, girl!" he yelled. Leia flinched, having always hated it when he called her that.

"I'm not a girl," she said.

"You're a child!"

"I am not!" Leia shrieked, raising up her hand and sending Sidious flying backward where he collided with the window with a thud. Sidious got up quickly and made a low growling sound.

"How dare you," he said, his voice barely registrable due to the lowness of his tone. Raising both of his hands, Sidious sent a wave of lightning to Leia who had been expecting the retribution. The pain didn't hurt any less, however; Vader wasn't here to protect her now. Blood pooled in her mouth as she bit down hard on her tongue to prevent herself from screaming.

Sidious relented quickly as he walked back over toward her. Looming over her, Sidious tilted his head curiously.

"You feel the pain?" he asked. Leia snarled at him, refusing to give him the answer he desired, although the blood trickling down her chin affirmed his question regardless. "How did you do it?" he asked.

"What are you –" Leia stopped, having to spit blood out of her mouth before speaking again. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

Sidious turned away again and walked back over toward his throne. "On Malachor," he said. "You felt nothing. How did you do it?"

"I don't know," she lied once again, struggling to her feet.

Sidious sat down on his throne and shot Leia a contemptuous look. "I told you not to lie to me," he said. "I will give you one more opportunity to tell me the truth."

Leia hesitated as she wiped the blood off her chin. Was there any point in hiding the truth from him anymore? If everything went to plan, Vader would be arriving any minute.

"You really want to know the truth?" she said. "You want to know what caused the disturbance in the Force?" Sidious leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. Leia paused for dramatic effect, savoring every second of her brief moment of power over her former master. "You think you know everything, don't you, Sidious?" she said, causing Sidious' nostrils to flare in irritation. "I've kept secrets from you my whole life."

"Have you now?" Sidious asked. "Do enlighten me."

"I've been able to resist your torture for my whole life," she said.

"Impossible," Sidious said.

"It's true," Leia said, unable to contain her mirth. "I never feared you. I was shielded from you."

"Shielded?" Sidious repeated, his pale yellow eyes widening.

"I never understood it either until now," Leia said. "But now I understand everything, Sidious. Do you know what it was that protected me from you? Or do you already know?" Sidious shook his head, utterly perplexed and perhaps a bit frightened even. "It was love," Leia said. "Love protected me."

Sidious gave a bark like laugh. "Love?" he said incredulously. "Are you really that naïve? You think love could protect you?"

"It did for nineteen years," Leia said, placing her hands on her hips and looking down at Sidious with a disdainful frown.

"Nobody loves you!" Sidious said loudly. "Not your brother! Not your mother! Nobody! Nobody has ever known you long enough to love you but me! And I certainly don't love you, Vitrius."

"Oh, I know that," Leia said. "You're not capable of love. But you have forgotten someone."

Sidious stopped cackling and looked up at her inquisitively. "I isolated you from the galaxy! Nobody could ever get close enough to you to love you!"

"Nobody but one," Leia said.

"One?" Sidious repeated. Leia smiled, relishing in Sidious' bewilderment. "Who?" he finally asked.

"My father," she said. "Darth Vader."

* * *

Luke had resumed pacing in the cell and Padmé had been just about to ask him to sit down and give it a rest when the door to their cell opened. Squinting a bit, Padmé put her hand over her eyes as she adjusted to the bright light of the hallway. Standing in the doorway was a tall hooded figure. Padmé frowned when the figure didn't move, seemingly frozen in the doorway.

"Who are you?" Luke asked, stepping in front of Padmé defensively.

The silhouette of a man pressed a button on the wall which turned the lights on in the cell before taking a step in. The door closed behind him and Padmé stood up to get a better look at him. Feeling like a coward, Padmé hid behind Luke and peered around his shoulder as the figure removed his hood.

"Hello, Padmé," he said.

Padmé gasped and grabbed onto Luke's shoulder. Standing before her was Anakin Skywalker, looking exactly as he had nineteen years ago. The sole differentiating factor, however, were his eyes which were burning yellow.

"Who are you? How do you know my mother?" Luke asked, bravely standing his ground and allowing Padmé to cower behind him.

Anakin contemplated his son's face for a moment. "I've come on Leia's behalf," he said.

"How is this possible?" Padmé asked, finally regaining her voice.

"Are you afraid to see me?" Anakin asked, his terrifying eyes darting to her stunned face.

"Yes," Padmé answered honestly.

Anakin narrowed his eyes at her. "You are right to fear me," he said. "If it weren't for Leia, I would kill you right now."

"How can you say that?" Padmé gasped.

"You betrayed me!" he bellowed.

"Don't you dare talk to her that way!" Luke shouted.

"Step aside, boy," Anakin said menacingly.

"No," Luke said defiantly.

Anakin snarled and sent Luke flying into the wall with a twitch of his neck. Horrified, Padmé rushed to her son's side. "Luke! Luke!" she cried.

"Thanks to you, I lost nineteen years of my life," Anakin said, taking a step forward so that he was looming over her.

Luke looked up groggily at her. "Are you alright?" she asked him.

"Don't talk to him!" Anakin shouted. "You and Kenobi have done enough to corrupt him already. I am reclaiming him today."

"You're not going to take him from me!" Padmé said furiously.

"Get up," Anakin demanded. Padmé looked back at Luke. He seemed unharmed, just a bit shaken up. "Get up!" Anakin shouted again.

Looking back up at Anakin, Padmé got to her feet slowly and gazed into his eyes defiantly. "I hate you," she said.

"And I you," Anakin said evenly. "But Leia doesn't for some reason."

"That's because she's not a monster," Padmé said.

Anakin gave a humorless laugh. "Oh, she's a monster, just like me," he said. Padmé shook with rage as she stared back at him silently. How could she have ever fallen in love with such a despicable person? How could this be Luke's father?

"Get up, boy," Anakin said to Luke who was looking up at him fearfully. "It's time to go."

"Who are you?" he asked.

"You really don't know?" Anakin said. When Luke shook his head, Anakin stepped forward and crouched down so that he was at eye level with Luke. "You really don't recognize me?"

Luke glanced up at Padmé who was biting her lip nervously. "Do I know you?" Luke asked, turning back to face Anakin.

"No," Anakin said. "But you should. If it weren't for that woman, you would have."

"That's a lie!" Padmé said.

"Is it?" Anakin asked, standing upright and turning his fiery gaze to her.

"It's not my fault you died! It's not my fault you abandoned me and the children!"

"Abandon? _Abandon_?" Anakin said incredulously. "It was you who abandoned me when you betrayed me to Kenobi!"

"I did nothing of the sort!"

"You brought him to Mustafar to kill me!"

"That's not true!"

"He arrived on your ship!"

"I didn't know he was there!"

"Oh, please!" Anakin exclaimed, turning his back on her and Luke in frustration.

"It's true! I lied for you, Anakin! I told Obi-Wan I didn't know where you had gone!"

"Then how did he end up on your ship?" Vader asked, yet the acrimony was absent from his voice now.

"He must have stowed away on it when I left Coruscant," Padmé said. "I swear, Anakin. I didn't know he was there. I never would have betrayed you like that!"

Anakin's eyes flickered and for the briefest of moments his eyes were no longer golden but a pale green.

"Wait… you're my father?"

Anakin's eyes reverted back to yellow as he looked back down at Luke. "I am," he said simply.

Bewildered, Luke blinked a few times before looking at Padmé for affirmation. When Padmé nodded, Luke's mouth fell open. "But you look like you're my age!" Luke exclaimed.

"This was how I appeared when Kenobi murdered me," Anakin said, the vitriol returning to his voice.

"Did Leia do this? Did she resurrect you?" Padmé asked.

"She did," Anakin said.

"How?"

Anakin grinned wickedly and his eyes darkened as he looked back at her. "A life for a life," he said. "Leia slew Kenobi so that I could rise again."

Padmé's eyes widened with disbelief. "She wouldn't have –"

"You don't know her!" Anakin said explosively. "You didn't raise her!"

"She's not like you! It's only because of Palpatine!"

"No, it's because of Kenobi!" Anakin shouted, drowning out her voice. "And now he is finally dead. He has joined the rest of the Jedi where they belong."

"You're lying! Leia wouldn't have done that!" Luke said, finally getting to his feet, his back pressed against the wall to support himself. "She wants to kill you!"

"You are mistaken," Anakin said. "Neither of you understand her like I do. She belongs with me."

"She doesn't belong with –"

"Enough!" Anakin barked. "We don't have time for this."

"What are you going to do to us?" Padmé asked.

"Me? Nothing," Anakin said. "Leia is foolish to seek your affections, but I will abide by her wishes. No harm will come to you as long as you are by my side. Now, let's get going."

While Padmé had no reason to trust Anakin, he seemed entirely genuine in his desire to help Leia. But why would that be?

"Why are you helping her?" Padmé asked. "You tortured her!"

"I am done discussing!" Anakin growled. "We have to leave now."

Padmé frowned but nonetheless obliged, following him out of the cell into the hallway. She knew the answer to that particular question anyway: Anakin loved her. As bizarre as it seemed, Anakin clearly adored Leia and would do anything for her. Why didn't he treat Luke the same way then? Was it simply because he didn't know the boy as well as he did Leia? This didn't make much sense, though. Anakin had been downright hostile toward Luke. Then again, Anakin clearly embodied the concept of tough love. After all, he had inflicted pain on Leia continuously for an entire week solely because she had defied him. Maybe Anakin truly didn't understand that it was wrong to hurt people. If that was the case, why would that be? This wasn't the man she had married. What had happened to her Anakin?

* * *

Sidious stared back at Leia blankly for nearly a full minute before finally speaking. "Darth Vader… is dead," he said slowly. Unable to contain her mirth, Leia smiled broadly and shook her head. "Kenobi killed him," Sidious said, more confidently now. "I saw his corpse! He died nineteen years ago!"

"Darth Vader lived and Darth Vader lives again," Leia said.

"That's not true," Sidious said, his eyes darting about frantically. "That's impossible!"

"I sense much fear in you, my master," Leia said. "You know, don't you? You know your time is coming to an end."

Sidious' eyes ceased oscillating and fixated on her face. "I have nothing to fear from Darth Vader," he said.

"No," she said. "But you have much to fear from me." With one swift move, Leia called her lightsaber to her hand from Sidious' armrest and activated it.

Unfazed, Sidious leaned back in his chair and looked away from her, deep in thought. Incensed by his indifference to her boldness, Leia sliced her lightsaber in the air in front of him. "Look at me!" she bellowed. "I want to see the fear in your eyes!"

Slowly, Sidious turned back to face her. "You think he _loves_ you?" he said, enunciating that particular word with vehement disgust.

"I know he does," Leia said, gripping her lightsaber so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"Have I taught you nothing?" Sidious asked. "A true Sith doesn't know love."

"My father isn't a Sith and nor am I," Leia said.

"That's not true," Sidious said. "I can feel the darkness within you. Your anger gives you strength. Your hatred gives you clarity."

"It gives me the strength to kill you," Leia said viciously.

"You're not going to kill me," Sidious said. "I am not your enemy."

"You took everything from me!" Leia shouted, slicing her lightsaber downward, splashing Sidious' robe with embers when the tip of her blade grazed the floor. "You ruined my life!"

"You have no life!" Sidious spat back. "You are a tool! An instrument!"

"Only because you made me one!"

"You're wrong," Sidious said. "You were destined for servitude. You belong by my side."

Enraged, Leia finally sliced down at Sidious, but he stopped her casually with a flick of her wrist, freezing her in place. Sidious snarled at her and stood up. He began to circle her, his eyes narrowed contemptuously.

"Let me go!" Leia said.

"Your father doesn't love you," Sidious growled. "He wants to use you, just like I do. The only difference is he pretends to treat you like an equal. You're pathetic, Vitrius. You can't see how you are nothing but a pawn."

"I'm not a pawn!" Leia insisted.

"What did Vader tell you? Did he tell you he wanted to help you? That he would do anything for you?" Leia said nothing, unable to follow Sidious because her eyes were frozen in place. "He learned that from me!" Sidious said. "Back when he was a child just like you are now, I swayed him to the dark side with the same lies. I begged him to let me help him. I told him I would do anything in my power to assist him. He fell for it like a fool. And now you are falling for the same lies."

"They're not lies!" Leia cried.

"A Sith doesn't know love!" Sidious shrieked, sending a fresh wave of lightning at her. Leia unfroze and was sent flying to the right. Her lightsaber fell out of her hand and went skidding away. Unable to stop herself this time, Leia screamed out in agony. Writhing in pain, she vaguely registered that Sidious had picked up her lightsaber and was standing over her.

"Young fool," he said, finally relenting the assault. "You belong to me, not to Vader."

"I… I don't belong to anyone," Leia struggled to say.

"Do you know what he did to your mother? Did he ever tell you the truth?" Leia said nothing, scooting away from Sidious in a vain attempt to put some distance between herself and him. "Of course he didn't," Sidious said, easily closing the gap between them in two steps. "He wouldn't have wanted you to know."

"He tells me everything!" Leia said.

Sidious laughed throatily and shook his head. "Is that so?" he asked. When Leia nodded her head vigorously, Sidious leaned down so that his face was directly in front of hers. "So you know that he tried to kill her?" he said, his breath feeling like sandpaper against her cheeks.

"He… he didn't," Leia said.

Sidious smiled broadly, his crooked yellow teeth bared like an animal preparing to attack. "Oh yes he did," he said gleefully. "He strangled her on Mustafar. If it weren't for Kenobi, he would have killed her, along with you and your brother. You know it's true," he said when she shook her head.

"No. You're lying! He wouldn't have."

"I told you, my young apprentice. A Sith doesn't know love."

"My… my father isn't… he isn't a Sith!"

"He doesn't love you," Sidious said. "He wants to use you. He wants to overthrow me."

"He loves me!" Leia wailed. "My father loves me!"

"He tried to kill you and your mother," Sidious said, standing upright and walking away from her. "He hates her still. He will finish the job now that he has returned."

"No, no, no…"

"I don't care about Amidala," Sidious said. "I will not harm her if you rejoin me." When Leia said nothing, Sidious spun back around to face her. "I can feel your anger," he said. "Your hatred! It is misguided, young one. I am not your enemy. Vader is."

"No!" Leia yelled.

"Yes!" Sidious shrieked, sending another blast of lightning at her. Leia's head whipped back and smashed into the floor. Her vision blacked out briefly, although the darkness was tinged with blue from the lightning. Horrible agony coursed through her body, tendrils of electricity wrapping around her limbs and tearing brutally at her flesh. She screamed, begging for it to end. Begging for leniency…

"_Stop! Stop now! Come back! I love you!"_

"_Liar!" _

A flash of red. A jolt of fear. He was going to kill her…

"_No!" _

"_You're with him! You brought him here to kill me!" _

"_No!" _

She couldn't breathe. Terror consumed her. Struggling, pleading, begging…

"_Let her go, Anakin." _

"_Anakin!" _

"_Let. Her. Go." _

Leia inhaled sharply as her eyes flew open. Her chest heaved as she propped herself on her elbows. Sidious was standing over her, his hands clasped in front of him as he watched her with a sickening snarl.

"He tried to kill you," he said, his voice dripping with acrimony. "He doesn't care about you."

Leia felt herself shivering, cool sweat pouring down her forehead and into her eyes. Sidious raised his head and extended his hand to her. "Join me," he said. "Join me, and together we can get our revenge. Together we can expose Vader for the fraud that he is."

Leia stared at Sidious' outstretched hand and swallowed hard. She could still feel Vader's grip around her neck, strangling the life out of her…

"I can feel your fear," Sidious said. "Join me, and you will never have to be afraid again."

Leia looked up slowly from Sidious' hand to his face. His fiery eyes were boring into her, positively glowing with intensity.

"I will protect you, my child."

Vitrius reached up and took his hand.

* * *

**_Author's Note: _**Sorry to end it on a cliffhanger! I'd like to take the opportunity to respond to a couple of reviewers.

1saaa: Thanks for leaving so many kind reviews! I have seen bits and pieces of _Clone Wars _and of _Rebels, _and I found them enjoyable but it's not really something that captures my attention. I don't know why, to be honest. It could be as simple as me finding the animation to be a bit off-putting. It's a superficial reason, I know, but for some reason I just can't care as much about the characters when they are presented in that format.

vanellopeeee: Thank you for the kind words! It's funny you compare Eleven with this version of Leia, because I actually got a lot of inspiration from Stranger Things when developing this story. I see El and Leia/Vitrius as being very similar characters. Both were isolated from childhood and raised by monstrous men who sought only to enhance their respective girls' powers for evil. They also both latch on to a compassionate, loving friend after they gain their freedom. In Leia's case that is Luke and in El's case it's Mike. The major differentiating factor between them is that Leia has always had Vader by her side, whereas El never had that support, so take that as you may.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Leia!"

Having just gotten to her feet with Sidious' assistance, Vitrius spun her head around to see Vader running toward her, followed closely by Luke and Padmé. Vader came to an abrupt stop at the top of the stairs when he saw her eyes.

"Leia?" he said again.

"Darth Vader," she replied icily.

Vader glanced beyond her to Sidious who was standing behind her right shoulder. "What did you do to her?" he asked.

"My friend, that is not the question," he said, his voice bursting with mirth. "What you did to her is of greater importance."

"What are you talking about? Leia, what did he tell you?"

"You… you tried to kill her," Vitrius said, her mind feeling fuzzy and discombobulated. She couldn't grapple with everything that was happening. "You tried to kill Mom."

Vader stared at her blankly for a moment. "What are you…" He trailed off when recognition dawned on his face. Vader swallowed hard as his face paled. "That was a long time ago," he said lamely.

Fury erupted within her at this pathetic excuse. Thrusting her left hand outward, Vitrius sent Vader flying down the stairs where Luke and Padmé were still standing. "Anakin!" Padmé screamed when Vader landed hard on his back at her feet.

"Good. Very good," Sidious whispered to her. Sidious extended his hand to her and offered her her lightsaber. Still trembling with rage, Vitrius swiped the weapon from Sidious' hand and marched toward the stairs.

Winded, Vader propped himself up with Padmé's support. Vitrius loomed over him from the top of the stairs, her eyes burning a fierce yellow. "You lied to me," she said, her voice laden with a steely edge. "You said you loved me."

"Leia! Sidious is lying to you!"

"You tried to kill me," she said, her voice remaining even despite her outrage. "You tried to kill all three of us."

"Leia –" Padmé tried to say

"Step away from him!" Vitrius shouted to her mother. "He doesn't deserve your support."

"Leia, listen to me –"

"I said step away from him!"

Terrified, Padmé scurried away from Vader. Vitrius began descending the steps slowly, her lightsaber held firmly in her right hand.

"Leia, don't do this," Luke said.

"Stay out of this, Luke," she said, not looking away from Vader who was now struggling to his feet. "You don't know what this man has done."

"Everything I do is for you," Vader said, backing away from her a few steps.

Vitrius laughed humorlessly. "Is that why you tried to kill me?" she asked.

"I didn't mean to! I… I lost control! I shouldn't have –"

"You're a monster!" Vitrius bellowed. "You've never loved me! You only want to use me!"

"That's not true! Leia, he's lying to you –"

"I'm done letting myself be a pawn in everyone else's game," she interrupted.

A delirious cackle behind her caused Vader to look away from her to Sidious who was descending the steps toward them. "You turned her against me!" he yelled.

"You have done that yourself," Sidious said.

"Leia, listen to me –"

Vader stopped talking when Leia ignited her lightsaber, the red blade crackling ominously at her side.

"Your hatred gives you strength, my apprentice," Sidious said as he began prowling behind her. "It gives you clarity. Use it to strike down your enemy. Use it to seek your revenge!"

Vader held up his hands, continuing to step away from Vitrius slowly. "I won't fight you, Leia," he said. "I made a horrible mistake that day, and I am so, so sorry for it. I meant what I said. I won't hurt you ever again."

"I'm done being lied to," Vitrius said, remaining stationary as Vader continued to back away. Behind him, Padmé was holding on to Luke, her eyes wide with fear and foreboding. Vitrius' own eyes softened a fraction when she looked to her mother.

"I am doing this for you, Mom," she said.

"Leia, please don't do this!" Padmé pleaded. "Come back to us!"

"I'm done being manipulated," she said, raising her chin high and bending her knees. "This all ends today."

"Leia, no!" Vader yelled when she raised her lightsaber over her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Luke rush forward, leaving Padmé behind.

"No!" Luke screamed.

Yet Vitrius hadn't swung at Vader. With lightning quickness, Leia pivoted as she swung down horizontally. Spinning around on her right foot, Vitrius let her momentum carry her around as she swung straight through Sidious's midsection.

Sidious' gleeful expression faded in an instant as his eyes bulged wide with shock. "You…" he managed to say.

Vitrius pulled her lightsaber back and thrust forward into his chest, impaling him. Growling, Vitrius took a step toward him and drove the lightsaber through him fully.

"Goodbye, my master," she said, her face just inches apart from Sidious'.

Vitrius yanked the lightsaber out of his sternum and watched as Sidious fell backward to the floor, dead. She stood over him for a few minutes, barely registering that Luke had stepped next to her.

"Come on," he said. "We should get out of here."

Reluctantly, Vitrius looked up from Sidious' corpse to look at her brother. "No," she said definitively. "We still have unfinished business here."

Vitrius turned around and brandished her lightsaber once more. Vader was staring back at her with a stunned expression, but that quickly changed when he saw her approaching him.

"Leia –"

Vitrius swung at Vader's head and he only just managed to duck out of the way.

"Leia, stop!" Luke yelled from behind her.

"You belong with Sidious," Vitrius growled as she took another step forward.

"I will not fight you," Vader said, although his hand was hovering over the two lightsabers dangling from his belt.

"Then you will die," Vitrius said.

"Leia, no!" Luke said as he ran toward her. Without looking back, Vitrius held up her hand and blocked Luke from reaching her. Luke hit the Force shield and crumpled to the ground.

Vader continued to back up until he ran out of space, his back hitting the elevator. Vitrius smiled savagely, closing in on her prey hungrily.

"Leia, please stop!"

Vitrius looked to her left to see Padmé. Faltering, Vitrius lowered her lightsaber a fraction. Capitalizing on her moment of hesitation, Padmé rushed forward and placed herself between Vader and Vitrius.

"You don't have to do this," she said. Behind her, she heard Luke get to her feet and begin running toward her again. "You don't have to kill him."

"He tried to kill you! He tried to kill me!"

"He did," Padmé said, holding her hands up in front of her protectively. "But that doesn't mean he has to die."

"Yes it does!" Vitrius bellowed. Padmé flinched and took a step back, running into Vader's chest. "He and Sidious both deserve to pay for what they did to me! For what they did to you!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Vitrius saw Luke carefully walk around her, his hands held up as well. "Don't do this, Leia," he said. "If you kill your father, you will be no better than Sidious."

"Spare me, Luke," Vitrius spat. "This man is a monster. He deserves to die."

"You're wrong," Luke said.

Frustrated, Vitrius looked down at her lightsaber and clenched her jaw. "He doesn't care about you. He will kill us the moment we let our guard down. I am doing this to protect you."

"I have no such intentions," Vader said from behind Luke and Padmé. "Leia, I love you."

"_Stop! Stop now! Come back! I love you!"_

"Liar!" Vitrius cried.

"_No!" _

"Leia, stop!" Padmé begged.

"_Anakin!"_

"Step aside," she said lowly.

"Leia –"

"Step aside!"

Padmé swallowed hard and glanced at Luke. "No," she said, turning back to face Vitrius with steely determination. "I won't let you do this."

Vitrius took a deep breath and closed her eyes, feeling the rage course through her veins. "So be it," she said. Raising her left hand, she forced Luke and Padmé out of the way, sending them flying into the railing to either side of Vader. With a yell, she swung down at Vader, but he was too quick for her. Leaping upwards, Vader sailed over her and landed behind her just as Vitrius' lightsaber cut through the elevator door.

Spinning around, she saw that Vader had finally drawn his weapons, gripping a blue blade in each hand. His eyes were burning a baleful yellow as he stared back at her angrily.

"After all I did for you, this is how you repay me?" he asked.

"You can't redeem yourself, Father," she said, taking a step forward. On either side of her, she saw both Luke and Padmé struggling to their feet.

"For nineteen years, I loved and protected you," Vader growled. "For nineteen years, I poured my soul into you!"

"You don't know love!" Vitrius shouted. Swinging downward, Vader parried her strike with his left blade and counterattacked with the right. Shifting her blade downward to meet the strike, Vitrius pushed against the two blades in an attempt to knock Vader off balance. He was far stronger than her, however, and Vader didn't budge. Yanking her blade away, Vitrius spun around to get away from Vader. Ducking underneath Vader's left blade, Vitrius slid on the slick floor and struck at Vader's unprotected back. With a miraculous bit of swordsmanship, Vader blocked the attack without even looking at her. Pivoting to face her, Vader swung down with his left blade and Vitrius was forced to jump backward to avoid the blow.

"You can't defeat me," Vader said in a rumbling voice. "I know your every move."

Vitrius began to walk away slowly toward the steps, her lightsaber held up in front of her. "You underestimate my power," she said. Behind Vader, she saw Luke and Padmé watching the fight with trepidation.

"You are no match for me," Vader countered.

Vitrius stopped backing up and lowered her blade. Slicing the ground in front of her, a wave of embers splashed Vader's feet causing him to jump back. Capitalizing on his vulnerable position, Vitrius leapt at him and attacked with an overhead strike. Vader parried the blow, but Vitrius didn't allow him to regain the momentum. Darkness swirled around her, empowering her and heightening her already prodigious skills. Vader struggled to keep up with her overwhelming assault, her blade a blur as she pushed him back toward the elevator.

With an upward slice, Vitrius knocked Vader's right blade out of the way. Looping back around, Vitrius swung her blade down at Vader's midsection. Vader was barely able to deflect the attack with his left blade, but Vitrius managed to nick his flank on the swing through. Enraged, Vader pushed her back with a downward slice from his left blade. For a few moments the two sparred with equal skill, neither relinquishing an inch of ground. Frustrated, Vitrius stepped away and resumed her retreat toward the stairs.

"Don't do this to me, Leia," Vader said. "I thought after everything I have done for you, you would have respected me."

"I have no respect for a man who tried to kill his wife," Vitrius said.

"She betrayed me!" Vader bellowed. "My whole life, I have been betrayed by the ones I love! Padmé turned against me, don't you turn against me too!"

"She was right to lead Kenobi to you," Vitrius said. "Now I will avenge him by finishing what he started."

"You can't kill me," Vader growled.

"Watch me," Vitrius shot back.

Screaming in frustration, Vader ran at her with his right blade raised over his shoulder. Vitrius was ready for him, however, holding her hand out and sending him flying across the hall. Her unsuspecting father crashed into the elevator door with a horrific thud. Both of his lightsabers fell out of his hands and rolled toward the railing. Relishing her victory, Vitrius hesitated for a moment too long before running toward Vader. In that time, Luke and Padmé had each jumped in front of Vader, both of them wielding a lightsaber.

Vitrius came to a halt a few meters in front of them, stunned by their audacity. Luke was gripping Obi-Wan's old blade while Padmé was nervously clutching the weapon which had belonged to her husband.

"Step aside," Vitrius barked.

"No," Luke said defiantly. "We won't let you do this."

"Leia, please," Padmé said, her eyes swimming with tears.

"Why are you defending him?" she asked. "After what he did to you?"

"I'm not defending him," Padmé said. "I'm trying to save you from yourself."

Vitrius faltered and lowered her blade to her side. "What?" she asked.

"You're a good person, Leia. You don't have to do this," Padmé said.

"Yes, I do!" Vitrius said, regaining her resolve. "He deserves to pay! He deserves to suffer."

"No, Leia –"

"Step aside!" Vitrius roared.

"No!"

Vitrius turned just in time to block Luke's blade. Shocked, Vitrius pushed Luke away from her with ease. Undeterred, Luke ran back at her with Obi-Wan's blade held high.

"Luke, stop," Vitrius said as she deflected his sloppy assault. "Don't make me hurt you."

"You're not going to kill him!"

Irritated, Vitrius parried a few more of Luke's attacks before kicking him in the shin. Stunned more so than hurt, Luke doubled over a bit, rendering him vulnerable. Vitrius could have easily sliced up at his neck and killed him, but instead she deactivated her lightsaber and rapped him hard on the back with the hilt. Luke collapsed to the ground, his weapon rolling away back toward Padmé. Vitrius raised her hand to call the weapon to her hand, but just as she did she was hit by a colossal wave of energy and was sent soaring across the room.

Vitrius' lightsaber went flying out of her hand when she collided painfully into the foot of Sidious' throne. Shaking her head, Vitrius looked up to see Vader leaping up the stairs in a single bound. Vitrius tried to get up, but Vader was too fast for her. Calling her lightsaber to his hand, Vader thrust his foot into her chest, pinning her against the throne.

Vader's eyes were burning so fiercely yellow that when Vitrius closed her eyes she could still see the imprints of his irises. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Vader was holding her own lightsaber high over his head, the red blade poised to strike down its creator…

"No!" she heard Padmé shriek. "Anakin, no!"

Vader hesitated, his yellow eyes still burning into Vitrius' own.

"Father…" Vitrius said pathetically.

Vader closed his eyes and lowered the lightsaber a fraction. Vitrius knew she should have used this opportunity to free herself, but for some reason she didn't. Instead she stared back up at her father's face, utterly frozen.

"Anakin!" Padmé yelled again.

Suddenly, Vitrius felt a huge shift in the Force. It was as if an enormous weight had been taken off of her, but then she realized it was actually that Vader had taken his foot off of her chest. Yet as she sat upright against the throne Vitrius couldn't deny that something monumental had just transpired. The Force had been irrevocably altered somehow…

Vitrius gasped when Vader opened his eyes. They were no longer yellow, but instead a piercing blue. Vader deactivated her blade and threw it aside.

"I will not hurt you, Leia," he said. "Never again." Vitrius said nothing, stunned by this turn of events. "You were right. You were right about me. Tell your brother, you were right."

"Father?"

"I deserve to die," he said. "But not like this. Not by your blade." Vader swallowed hard as tears emerged in his eyes. He looked down at her with a sorrowful expression, his bright blue eyes immobilizing her with their intensity. "I love you, my child. I am so sorry for what I did to you. I am so sorry for what I did to your mother. I am so sorry for everything."

Stunned, Vitrius' eyes never deviated from her father's face, absorbing every heartbreaking detail. "Forgive me," he said, extending his hand to her. "I beg you to forgive me."

Vitrius froze as she looked at Vader's outstretched hand. Forgive him? How could she do that? After what he did? After how he manipulated and tortured her? Yet despite everything, she felt herself reaching up. Her hand hesitated an inch apart from Vader's, hovering in the air…

Vader filled the gap and grasped her hand with his own. She inhaled sharply when their skin made contact. Her father's hand burned against her skin, but she didn't recoil. Vader helped lift her to her feet, her legs wobbling slightly as she looked up at her father's face. He was glowing faintly, his whole body emitting an incandescent golden hue much like Obi-Wan's had after she had killed him. As Vader looked down at their intertwined hands, a single tear fell down his cheek and hit her bare skin. Releasing her hand, Vader looked back at her and smiled weakly. Extending his other hand, Vader brushed her cheek tenderly.

"Thank you," he said in a whisper. "You saved me. Leia, my love. You saved me."

The glow began to intensify, and Leia's eyes widened in fear as her father winced in pain. "Father?" she asked again.

"It's alright," he said, taking his hand off her cheek and stepping away. "It is done. We have brought balance to the Force."

"But –"

"I don't belong here," Vader said. "I died nineteen years ago. Yet you brought me back so that I could fulfill my destiny. Now that it is complete, I must return."

"No…" Leia tried to say, but she found herself unable to speak, choked up with tears. "Don't leave me," she said.

"Don't cry, my dear," her father said. "This is how it was meant to be."

Vader turned around when he heard two sets of footsteps approaching. Leia looked around her father's glowing form to see that Luke and Padmé had walked up the steps and were standing a few meters away.

"I am so sorry, Padmé," Vader said, his voice cracking with emotion. "I am so, so sorry."

Padmé said nothing, either too stunned or too moved to respond. Instead she merely nodded and pursed her lips.

"I loved you more than anything," Vader said. "That was why I turned in the first place. To save you. I was so afraid of living without you, but by turning to the dark side I sealed myself to the very fate I feared so much."

"Oh, Anakin," Padmé whispered, holding her hand over her mouth.

"I was a fool. I fell for Sidious' lies and I destroyed this family." Vader took a deep, shaky breath before turning to Luke who was standing next to Padmé. "Luke, my son," he said. "Forgive me for failing you. I should have been in your life, but instead I squandered everything and left you and your mother. I want you to look after your sister for me. She loves you perhaps more than she can even understand. Be strong for her."

"I will," Luke said, his own voice sounding strained. "I promise you, Father."

Vader nodded solemnly at his son and closed his eyes. "Go now," he said. "Leave while you still can."

"No, Father, no!" Leia cried. "You have to come with us!"

"It's too late for me," Vader said, turning back to her with a sad smile.

"No! No! You're coming with us!" Leia reached out to grab his glowing arm, yet pulled back at once when his skin burned her hand.

"Go, my child," Vader said. "You must go."

"Leia, come on," Luke said, walking over toward her and placing his hand on her shoulder. "We have to go."

"No!" Leia shrieked. "I'm not leaving you! I can't leave you! Father!"

"Leia, please," Vader said, his face contorted with sorrow. "Listen to your brother."

"Father! Father!"

"Leia –"

"Father!"

Luke grabbed her firmly by the waist and started pulling her away toward the stairs. Leia screamed and wailed, her vision blurred by tears. She couldn't leave him behind! She couldn't let him go!

"Father!" she yelled. "Please don't leave me!"

"I'll never leave you, my love," Vader managed to say, his voice thick with emotion. "I will always be with you."

Hysterical, Leia gave up struggling against Luke and allowed him to drag her away. Vaguely, she noticed that Padmé was by her side as well, gently stroking her hair and whispering something to her. Leia could only pay attention to her father, however. As Luke began to drag her down the stairs, Vader began to glow brighter and brighter until she could barely make out his features.

"Father," she cried one last time.

* * *

Luke released Leia when they reached the bottom of the stairs. She was sobbing uncontrollably, unable to speak much less listen to him.

"We've got to get her out of here," Luke said to Padmé

"Can you carry her?" she asked.

Luke looked back at Leia who had fallen to her knees, utterly hysterical. "I guess," he said. "I don't know how we're going to get off this station undetected though."

"We'll worry about that later," Padmé said determinedly. "We're not leaving her behind."

"I wasn't suggesting that," Luke said quickly. Reaching down, Luke placed his arms around his sister's quaking form. "I'm going to pick you up, if that's okay" he said to her. When she predictably didn't respond, Luke braced his legs and lifted her up. Buckling a bit, Luke repositioned her so that his arms were underneath her legs and back.

"Alright," Luke said through gritted teeth. "Let's go." Trudging onwards, they had almost made it to the elevator when Luke remembered something. "The lightsabers," he said. "We have to take them with us."

"Leia's is back by the throne," Padmé said.

"Never mind that one," Luke said at once. He was glad to be rid of Leia's red blade. It reeked of Sidious. "Just get the two blue ones." Padmé obliged and picked up Obi-Wan and Anakin's lightsabers which were conveniently left by the elevator.

"Got them," she said.

"Great. Let's go."

Descending down the elevator and back into the Death Star hallways, Luke and Padmé marched on toward the hangar. Miraculously, nobody seemed at all interested in them as they passed by. Whenever someone came close to them, they would get a dazed expression on their face and abruptly turn around.

"It's Vader," Luke said excitedly, his voice strained as he struggled to talk while carrying Leia. "He's… he's protecting us somehow."

Bemused, Padmé looked around at the empty hallway. "It's a miracle," she said.

"No, it's the Force," Luke said. "It's shielding us."

Although Luke didn't know exactly where he was going, he led them with utmost confidence. It was as if something inside him was guiding him, speaking to him almost. He had never before felt so sure about himself. Padmé followed him unquestioningly, perhaps sensing his confidence and deciding to place her faith in him.

Taking another elevator, Luke led them into the hangar. He gravitated toward a ship that felt familiar despite having never seen it before.

"That's Bail's ship!" Padmé exclaimed when she saw where he was going.

"Leia must have taken it to get here," Luke said. "Come on."

They continued to encounter no resistance of any kind. Reaching the sleek shuttle, Luke began making the laborious trip up the ramp. His arms and legs were shaking now, struggling to support Leia's still trembling body. Yet not once did he consider dropping her. It was as if she were a part of him, an extension of his self. He would never leave her behind.

Reaching the top of the ramp, Luke continued on into the body of the ship. Taking a left into a small compartment, Luke set Leia down onto a cot. "Look after her," Luke commanded to Padmé who was standing behind him in the hallway. "I'll get us out of here."

A few minutes later, Luke was seated in the pilot's seat driving the vessel out of the hangar. Despite having no authorization to depart, the Imperials made no attempt to stop the ship. Shaking his head in wonderment, Luke steered the ship toward Hoth which was looming large in the window.

They were perhaps a few hundred kilometers away from the Death Star when it suddenly exploded. Stunned, Luke turned to look out of the corner of his window. Debris from the massive space station was ejected out into space in a fiery golden explosion. Overcoming his brief moment of paralytic shock, Luke turned back to the control panel and steered the ship away from Hoth. Punching the throttle, Luke sent the vessel barreling into empty space on a line tangential to the former location of the station in an attempt to get as far away from the debris as possible.

"What happened? Why aren't we going back to Hoth?"

Luke looked around to see Padmé standing behind him. She looked particularly small as she rubbed her arms together in front of her chest, clearly feeling the chill of the cockpit.

"The Death Star just exploded," Luke told her. "I'm trying to get us as far away as possible."

"It _what_?" Padme asked incredulously.

"It exploded," Luke said again.

"Did the Rebels do it somehow?" Padmé asked, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"I don't think so," Luke said, once again feeling oddly confident. "I think it was him. He did it."

"You mean Anakin caused that explosion?" Padme asked.

Luke nodded his head and looked back out the window at the empty space in front of him. "He did it," Luke said softly. "He brought balance to the Force."

Padmé didn't say anything to this, probably not understanding what it was Luke was talking about. To an extent, Luke himself didn't know what he was talking about. Yet something felt different now. In spite of the horrific carnage behind them, everything felt… tranquil. The galaxy felt balanced, somehow.

"How is she?" Luke finally asked.

Padmé pursed her lips and sat down in the copilot's chair. "She's totally unresponsive," she said. "I don't know what to do."

Luke nodded solemnly and looked back out the window. "She's a broken person," he said.

"I know it," Padmé said. "I just hope she will be able to recover after all this. That must have been horribly traumatic for her."

Luke blinked back a few tears as he rested his chin on his fist. It had been heart wrenching to see Leia completely dissolve when they had been forced to leave Anakin behind. It was disconcerting to say the least to see how volatile Leia could be; one minute she had been determined to kill her father, yet in the next she was completely and utterly hysterical at the prospect of leaving him behind. She really was a broken person.

"Hey," Padmé said, reaching out and placing a soft hand on his forearm. "We're going to be there for her. Now that this is all over, we'll be able to help her heal."

Luke wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and sniffled. Looking back at his mother, Luke gave her a watery smile. "You're right," he said. "It's finally over."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Leia didn't know where she was. She didn't know where she was going or why she was going there. She was completely dissociated from the commotion ensuing around her.

"_Get your hands off her!" _

"_Senator, step aside." _

"_Don't touch her!" _

"_Mr. Skywalker, please." _

"_Where is Mothma? I want to speak to her." _

Nothing made sense anymore. Her father was gone. Her whole life, he had always been there, whether she wanted him there or not. But now, he was gone and Leia didn't know what to do with herself. She had never lived without him.

"_Ms. Skywalker, can you hear me?" _

"_Let her go!" _

"_Ms. Skywalker?" _

"_I demand that you release her! I am a senior member of this alliance!" _

"_The council has voted, Senator. She is a traitor to the Rebellion." _

"_She's not a traitor! She's a hero!" _

"_Senator, step aside or we will be forced to hold you in contempt." _

"_Don't you dare tell me what to do!" _

Leia could feel herself spiraling downward. Everyone was screaming, fighting, yelling. She couldn't take it anymore. She was all alone in a sea of fury without her father to help her. Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop…

"_Leia!" _

"_What's happening?" _

"_Leia!" _

"_Can you hear me?" _

"_Leia!" _

"_Take her to the medbay."_

"_Take those binders off her!" _

"_Senator Amidala, please." _

"_Leia!" _

She was seated in a bed. She didn't know how she had gotten there. Looking around, Leia felt herself start to panic when she saw that her hands were chained to the rails on the side of the bed. Hyperventilating, Leia began to thrash about under the covers.

"Father? Father! Father!" she screamed. "Help! Help!"

"Hey! Leia, calm down!"

Leia looked up to see Luke jumping out of a chair in the corner of the room and rushing toward her. Leia's terror began to fade at the sight of him, although her breathing was still rapid.

"Luke?" she said.

"It's me. You're okay," he said, walking over to the side of her bed. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

Unsure how to answer, Leia looked away from him back to her chained left wrist. "Where am I? Why am I restrained?"

"We brought you back to Hoth," Luke told her. "When we got back, the Rebels arrested you. Mom went ballistic."

Leia nodded, vaguely remembering the details. She remembered her mother screaming at the Rebels, lambasting them for something. "They didn't hurt her, did they?" she asked.

"Mom? No, she's fine," Luke said. "She's talking to Mothma right now, I think. She's going to try to get you released."

Leia looked down at her lap, feeling utterly apathetic about the prospect of being released. She could easily break these chains if she wanted to. But what was the point? Where would she go? She had no idea what to do anymore. For her whole life, her father had been there to guide her or give her advice. Now he was gone. There was no more comforting voice in her head. She was totally alone.

"Hey," Luke said. Leia flinched when Luke put his hand on top of hers. "I want you to talk to me," he said. "Mom and I are worried about you."

Leia looked up at him blankly. "You're… worried about me?" she repeated.

"Yeah, we are," Luke said, giving her hand a little pat. "I had to carry you off the Death Star because you were so hysterical. Do you remember any of that?"

Leia swallowed hard and shook her head. She remembered taking her father's hand. She remembered him apologizing and telling her he loved her. And then she remembered him saying goodbye…

"No," she said, her voice cracking. "I don't remember much of anything."

"You kind of lost it," Luke said cautiously. "After… after it happened. I had to carry you to the ship."

"But how did you get back?" Leia asked.

"Nobody stopped us," Luke said. "It was as if we were invisible. I thought it was Vad… our father." Luke paused as Leia's lower lip began to tremble. "He was protecting us," Luke said eventually.

"He always protected me," Leia said in a whisper. "Even when he was hurting me, it was because he thought he was protecting me."

"He protected all of us," Luke said. "When we left, the whole Death Star exploded."

"It did?" Leia asked incredulously.

"He caused the explosion, I could sense it," Luke said. "He saved us as well as the whole Rebellion. He really is a hero."

"A hero," Leia repeated softly. She remembered her mother calling her that to the Rebels. _She's not a traitor! She's a hero! _She didn't feel like a hero. She felt like a failure.

* * *

"Release her this instant!"

Mothma's eyes widened in fear when she saw Padmé barreling toward her, a soldier rushing after her down the hallway.

"Senator Amidala! Stop!" the soldier called.

"Get your hands off me!" Padmé yelled when he tried to restrain her.

"Let her go, Private," Mothma said, holding up her hand to the frenzied soldier.

"Yes ma'am," he said, dropping Padmé's arm at once.

"Padmé, I'm so happy to see you're safe," Mothma said with a strained smile.

Padmé scoffed at her and was too angry to speak for a moment. "You arrested my daughter!" she finally managed to say.

Mothma looked around nervously at the small crowd which had gathered around them in the hallway. "Perhaps we should conduct this conversation elsewhere," she suggested diplomatically.

"No! I want you to release her now!"

"Padmé, I can't do that."

"Yes you can!"

"Padmé, please," Mothma pled. "We can discuss this in my office."

Padmé narrowed her eyes contemptuously at Mothma. "Fine," she spat.

Mothma bobbed her head and turned around. "Follow me," she said. "Could you ask for Senator Organa and Master Yoda to join us in my office?" she added to the soldier. The young man nodded and rushed away, eager to get away from the scene.

A few minutes later, Padmé was seated in a chair in front of Mothma's desk in her personal office. Mothma closed the door and walked over to the other side of the desk. "I really am so relieved to see you safe, Padmé," she said as she sat down and laced her fingers together on the surface of the desk. "I was so worried when I heard what happened on Malachor."

"Spare me the politicking, Mon," Padmé said acrimoniously. "I want you to release my daughter right now."

"I can't do that, Padmé," Mothma said exasperatedly.

"Why not?" Padmé asked loudly.

"She destroyed a third of our fleet and injured twelve people!" Mothma exclaimed. "I can't let her walk free after what she did."

"When did this happen?" Padmé asked.

"She and Skywalker were trying to escape using Senator Organa's vessel when our security forces tried to stop them," Mothma explained. "Your daughter… she made quick work of them, to say the least."

"She would," Padmé said, the left corner of her mouth curling upward with pride.

"Do you condone her actions, Padmé?" Mothma asked. "I thought you were a pacifist."

"I am, but if she hadn't done that, Luke and I would still be on the Death Star," Padmé said brusquely.

Mothma sighed and looked down at her hands on the desk. "Justice doesn't work like that," she said. "Your daughter committed treason."

"She didn't commit treason! She was never a part of the Rebellion in the first place!"

"Then she committed a criminal offense. The semantics are irrelevant." Indignant, Padmé was too flustered to speak. "Look, Padmé," Mothma said in a warmer voice. "I understand why you're upset."

"You understand why I'm _upset_?" Padme repeated incredulously. "You think I'm _upset_?"

"Padmé –"

"I'm not upset, Mon! I'm furious!" Padmé yelled. "You've imprisoned my daughter after she just saved all of our lives!"

"Did she?" Mothma asked skeptically. "Was she responsible for the destruction of the Death Star?"

"Yes," Padmé said at once. This was stretching the truth, of course. If she was to believe Luke, it was Anakin who had actually been responsible. Yet Padmé rationalized that Leia had been instrumental in getting Anakin to do that in the first place.

"Why didn't you mention this earlier?" Mothma asked skeptically.

"You didn't give me a chance!" Padme exclaimed. "You arrested Leia the moment we arrived."

Mothma tilted her head to the side, clearly unconvinced. "How exactly did she do this?" Mothma asked. "And why didn't she inform the council of her intentions?"

"I don't know," Padmé said perhaps too quickly. "And maybe she would have shared her plans with you if you hadn't been so determined to surrender."

"I had no other choice," Mothma said, bristling defensively.

"No. You did have a choice but you decided not to trust my daughter," Padmé said, pointing her finger angrily at Mothma across the table. "You've never trusted her."

"Why should I have?" Mothma asked, leaning back in her chair and holding her hands up. "She's a Sith Lord!"

"Don't call her that!" Padmé said furiously. "She's so much more than that! You don't know what you're talking about!"

Mothma was about to say something when a knock on the door stopped her. "Come in," she said, looking beyond Padmé to the door. Spinning around in her chair, Padmé saw the door open to reveal Bail.

"Padmé," Bail said with a big smile. "I'm so happy to see you." Looking down, Padmé noticed that Bail's left arm was suspended in a sling and thick bandages were wrapped around his shoulder.

"What happened to you?" she asked, standing up from her seat to properly greet him.

"It's not too bad," Bail said modestly. "They shot me when Leia and Anakin were escaping, that's all."

"Wait a minute, you helped Leia and Anakin get to the Death Star?" Padmé asked.

"I loaned them my ship," he said. "I, er… I disagreed with Senator Mothma's decision to surrender so I offered Leia my assistance."

Padmé spun around to face Mothma with her hands on her hips. "Why isn't Bail in prison?" she asked. "Did he not commit treason by assisting them?"

Mothma looked supremely uncomfortable. "Um… technically, perhaps –"

"Technically?" Padmé repeated loudly.

"There is a difference between what Senator Organa did and what your daughter did," Mothma said resolutely.

"No there isn't! By your definition, they both committed treason!"

"Not exactly –"

"No, you're just not willing to arrest Bail! I thought all people are supposed to be equal before the law. Does that not matter to you anymore?"

"Padmé –"

"I will destroy you if you insist on pursuing charges," Padmé interrupted ominously. "Don't you forget what I did to Valorum when he failed to listen to me."

"Padmé!" Mothma exclaimed, stunned. "You wouldn't!"

"Oh yes I would," Padmé said viciously. "You're not going to take my daughter away from me like Sidious did."

Alarmed, Mothma looked up to Bail for support. "I suggest you listen to her," Bail said curtly. "Leia doesn't deserve to be punished for what she did. She wouldn't have hurt anyone had I not gotten blasted."

"That's irrelevant, Bail," Mothma said shortly.

A second knock caused all three of them to look to the door which opened without receiving permission. Three sets of eyes looked down as Master Yoda appeared before them. The ancient grandmaster was leaning heavily on his cane and he looked far older than he had when Padmé had last seen him just a few days ago.

"Much anger in this room, I sense," Yoda commented blithely.

"Master Yoda, thank you for joining us," Mothma said, clearly still rattled by Padmé's threat.

Yoda nodded at Mothma before turning to look at Padmé. The grandmaster scrutinized her face silently for a moment, his green eyes narrowed curiously. Refusing to be intimidated by the tiny man, Padmé held her chin high and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Brought balance to the Force, your husband did," he finally said.

"So I've been told," Padmé said stiffly. She didn't like the Jedi Master, and in her agitated state she didn't really care about hiding this fact from him. In her mind, it was his dogmatism which had forced Anakin to the dark side.

"How?" Yoda asked.

Padmé glanced at Mothma before answering. "It was Leia's doing," she said pointedly. "She forced him to fulfill his destiny."

Perhaps sensing that Padmé didn't wish to divulge the specifics of what had happened in front of Mothma, Yoda nodded his head and didn't probe any deeper. "See her, I would like," Yoda said. "Much pain, from her I sense. Much guilt."

"Indeed," Padmé said, feeling a budding sense of camaraderie developing between her and the sage little master. "Perhaps it would be best if we didn't inflict additional suffering on her," she added bitingly to Mothma.

"This is a matter of the law, not of what would be best for her," Mothma said.

Padmé was about to unleash on Mothma when Bail physically stepped in between her and Mothma. Placing his right hand on Padmé's shoulder, Bail said to Mothma: "Mon, I understand where you're coming from. Believe me, I do. But you're going about this the wrong way. Padmé's daughter doesn't need to be punished. Yes, she did destroy those ships and injure those men, but she also is at least partially responsible for the destruction of that battle station."

"Those two facts are unrelated!" Mothma insisted.

"Mon, please listen to me," Bail pleaded.

"No, you listen to me, Organa!" Mothma said, holding up her finger at him. "You don't get to tell me how to run this alliance. I am following the law and the law states that –"

"Doomed to failure, we are when too rigid, we become." Padmé and Bail turned around to look at Yoda who was watching them with a knowing smile. "Know this well, I do," he said. "Responsible, I am, for the fall of the Jedi. Horribly guilty, I feel for my failure. Repeat my mistakes, you must not."

Mothma's mouth fell open in indignation. "What are you telling me, Master?" she asked. "To ignore the law? To let this woman get off scot-free?"

"Punished, young Leia has already been. Crushed by guilt and remorse, she is, much like I was. Lenient, you must be when dealing with her. Respect her mother's wishes, I advise you to do."

Mothma blinked a few times as she stared back at Yoda incredulously. "Are you suggesting I pardon her?" she asked, an undercurrent of vexation evident in her voice.

"Forgive and adapt," Yoda said, bowing his tired head. "Reform and rebuild, we all must do now."

* * *

Luke was pacing back and forth in the hallway outside Leia's hospital room. He hadn't wanted to leave her, but Leia had been adamant. She claimed that she didn't want him to feel obliged to look after her all the time, but Luke could tell that she really just wanted some privacy. He could appreciate that. She had been through an incredibly traumatic ordeal. It was understandable that she wanted some time alone to wrap her head around what had happened.

Yet consequently, Luke felt useless once again. He felt as if there was nothing he could do to help her. That was all he really wanted: to help her. It hurt Luke to see her so vulnerable and disheveled. It was more than that, really. Luke was angry. It enraged him to see his sister in this state. It made him furious at Sidious for ruining her life, irate at Vader for putting her through so much pain, and it even made him angry at himself for not being able to do anything to help.

"_Be careful of your emotions, Luke." _

Stunned, Luke stiffened and turned around slowly. Standing before him was none other than Obi-Wan Kenobi himself. He looked just as Luke remembered him, however he seemed to be bathed in a shimmering blue light.

"Ben?" he said incredulously. The venerable Jedi smiled warmly at Luke, the corners of his tired eyes crinkling. "How is this possible? I thought you were dead! I thought… I thought Leia killed you."

Obi-Wan's smile faded as he exhaled deeply. _"Indeed, she did,"_ he said plaintively.

"But then –"

"_My master taught me how to regain consciousness after death," _Obi-Wan explained. _"My presence still lingers through the Force, albeit weakly. I cannot interact with the physical world, but I can speak to you." _

Luke blinked a few times, confirming that his eyes weren't deceiving him. "This is incredible," he said eventually. "Do you think that –"

"_Your father could exist in this state as well?" _Obi-Wan said, completing the question. Luke nodded enthusiastically. _"I don't know," _Obi-Wan said, deflating Luke's fledgling optimism.

"Why not?" Luke asked.

"_Anakin never received the proper training," _Obi-Wan said. _"And even if he was able to return, he wouldn't provide you with the solution you seek." _

"What do you mean?" Luke asked.

"_If you want your sister to truly recover, you need to help her yourself," _Obi Wan said. _"She cannot continue to rely on her father to protect her." _

Luke bit his lower lip and looked at Leia's door. "But what if it's too late?" he asked, voicing his internal fears for the first time. "What if she's too far gone? What if I can't help her?"

Obi-Wan gave Luke a somber look. _"I can't answer that question," _he said. _"All I know is that if anyone was to save that young woman, it would be you and your mother." _Luke smiled appreciatively at Obi-Wan, yet he was far from assuaged by this answer. _"Be careful of your anger, Luke," _Obi-Wan warned him. _"Your passion is admirable, yet it is also dangerous." _

"What do you want me to do? Pretend like I'm not angry? Pretend like I don't care?"

"_Of course not," _Obi-Wan said _"I am telling you not to give up hope. Even if you think that you can't do anything to help, you can. You and Padmé are incredibly important to her, even if she isn't very good at showing it." _

Luke nodded, hoping against hope that Obi-Wan was right. Yet Luke couldn't deny the gnawing sense of dread within him. Leia was broken and there was nothing he could possibly do to change that. Watching her father die had pushed her over the edge, driving her into irreparable insanity. How could he live with himself if she never recovered?

When Luke looked back up, Obi-Wan's ghost was gone. Striding toward him was Padmé, a steely expression imprinted on her face. "Luke? What's wrong?" she asked when she stopped in front of him.

"Nothing," he said faintly.

Padmé seemed unconvinced, yet she didn't probe any deeper. "Where is Leia? I want to speak with her," she said.

Luke lead her into Leia's room. Opening the door, Luke nocked on the doorframe to announce his entry, but Leia made no indication that she had noticed him. "Leia?" he said tentatively.

"What's wrong with her?" Padmé asked when she walked in behind him.

"I don't know," Luke said as he walked over to her bedside. She was seated upright just like how he had left her, her arms still chained to the side rails. Her eyes were wide open, yet she made no indication of being conscious of her surroundings. "I think she's asleep," Luke said eventually.

"Asleep?" Padmé repeated incredulously. "But her eyes –"

"Father?" Leia said all of a sudden. Luke shot Padmé a concerned look.

"Leia?" Padmé asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed and placing her hand on Leia's knee. "Can you hear me?"

"No. Don't leave me."

"I'm here, Leia. I'm here for you."

"No! No!"

"Leia!"

"Father!"

"Luke, do something!"

"What?"

"Father!"

"Anything!"

"Please don't leave me!"

Luke was immobilized with fear. Leia was shrieking and convulsing, her eyes wide with terror.

"Father!"

Frustrated with Luke's lack of action, Padmé pushed him aside and jumped fully on the bed on top of Leia. "Leia! Leia, listen to me!" she yelled, grabbing Leia's shoulders and shaking her violently.

"Father!"

"Leia! Come back to me!"

"Father!"

"Leia! I love you so much! Come back to me!"

"Father!"

"Leia! Leia, please! Come back to me!"

"Mother?"

Leia's eyes regained focus and her convulsing ceased.

"Oh, Leia!" Padmé cried. "Leia, Leia, Leia."

"What… what happened?" Leia asked in a small voice, looking up at her mother's face with wide eyes.

"You're alright, you're alright," Padmé said shakily as she got off of Leia and sat down cross-legged in front of her.

"Do you know where you are?" Luke asked.

Leia looked up at him, her forehead damp with sweat. "I'm… I'm with you," she said. "I'm home."

Luke felt as if he had shattered into a million little pieces. "You're home," he said, tears bursting out of his eyes as he fell to his knees by her bedside. "You're with me." In that moment he knew that his fears were unfounded. He was her anchor. As long as he was there for her, Leia couldn't be gone. She may be driven mad by grief, but that didn't mean she was lost forever. His sister was still alive.

"Why are you crying?" Leia asked, visibly perplexed by his abrupt dissolution into tears.

Luke shook his head and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. Unable to explain himself, Luke looked to Padmé for help. Her own eyes were shining with tears as well, although she had managed to compose herself far better than he had.

"Were you dreaming?" she asked, diverting the conversation for his sake. "Were you back on the Death Star?" Leia looked away from Luke and nodded. Padmé swallowed hard and looked down at her feet. "It's horrible that he's gone, but you still have us, Leia," she said. "You don't have to feel like you're alone."

"We're always going to be there for you," Luke said quickly, regaining his voice.

"I know," Leia said softly.

"But it's not the same, is it?" Luke asked. She looked up at him quickly, her brown eyes boring into him intensely. "I understand," he said. "You knew him your whole life, whereas you only met us a couple of weeks ago."

Leia opened her mouth, but hesitated. "It's not that… it's not that I don't… love you," she said haltingly. "It's just that… he was always there. In my mind. He was always there for me. And now…" she trailed off, her lower lip trembling precariously.

"And now he's gone," Luke said for her. Leia closed her eyes tight and nodded. "There's nothing I can do to bring him back," he said, remembering Obi-Wan's advice. "But I can help you let him go."

Leia frowned at him. "What is that supposed to mean?" she asked a bit sharply.

"I'm saying it's time for you to move on. I don't mean you should forget him, but it's time for you to place faith in yourself and stop relying on him. You have us to support you now."

Leia opened her mouth to object, but she was interrupted by a knock on the door. Padmé gave Luke a look before jumping off the bed to answer the door. Luke craned his head to see who was there, but Padmé obscured his view.

"What are you doing here?" she asked stiffly to whomever was in the doorway.

"I would like to talk to your daughter. Privately."

"No," Padmé said immediately.

"Padmé, I must insist –"

"I'm not leaving. You either talk to her with me there or not all."

Luke heard the person in the doorway sigh heavily. "Fine," they said.

Padmé stepped aside, revealing Mon Mothma who was dressed in her typical flowing white dress. Her face was especially grim, which seemed odd to Luke who would have expected to find her ecstatic at the news that the Death Star had been annihilated.

"Oh," Mothma said when she saw Luke on his knees by Leia's bedside. "I didn't know –"

"Luke isn't going anywhere either," Padmé said brusquely.

Mothma gave Padmé a bitter look but she didn't object. Luke stood up and turned to face Mothma, his arms crossed defensively in front of his chest.

"What is this about?" he asked with a surly frown.

Intimidated by Luke and Padmé's hostility, Mothma hesitated before answering. "I want to hear Ms. Skywalker's version of the events which took place on the Death Star," she said.

Luke shook his head at once. "She doesn't want to talk about it," he said.

"She can speak for herself, Mr. Skywalker," Mothma said sternly.

"You don't understand –" Luke tried to say.

"Step aside, please," Mothma ordered superciliously. "I want to talk to Ms. Skywalker directly."

Angry at being treated this way, Luke only acquiesced when Padmé nodded at him. "It's okay, Luke," she said. "Let Leia speak for herself." Luke stepped aside reluctantly, revealing Leia who was staring straight ahead, seemingly oblivious to Mothma's presence.

Perturbed by Leia's aloofness, Mothma frowned before speaking. "Ms. Skywalker?" she said tentatively. "Can you, um… can you hear me?"

"Go away," Leia said flatly.

Luke was barely was able to suppress a smirk as Mothma blinked a few times in surprise. "I wish to talk to you," Mothma said. "I am willing to be lenient with you if you are cooperative."

"I don't require your leniency, Senator," Leia said coolly.

"Is that so?" Mothma asked.

"It is," Leia said, still refusing to look at Mothma. "You can't contain me."

Mothma laughed shrilly. "You're chained to a bed!" she exclaimed. "You are at my mercy!"

Leia slowly turned her head to look at Mothma, her dark brown eyes flashing yellow for a fraction of a second. With a twitch of her neck, the chains snapped and fell to the floor. "You were saying?" Leia asked with a sardonic smirk.

Mothma's face twitched, whether in anger or in fear, Luke couldn't be sure. "Mon, you don't want to pick this fight," Padmé said, stepping forward from the door. Mothma turned around to look at her, a skeptical look on her face.

"I am not afraid of her," she said defiantly. "I am in control of the Rebel Alliance! I will not be deterred by this girl."

"I am not a girl!" Leia yelled, but Mothma ignored her.

"I came here to seek a compromise," Mothma said to Padmé. "If you insist on maintaining this belligerent stance, however, that will no longer be possible."

"What sort of a compromise?" Luke asked.

"I would be willing to pardon Ms. Skywalker on the condition that she provides her services to the Alliance," Mothma said, still speaking to Padmé.

"Her services? What is that supposed to mean?" Padmé asked.

"I want to make you daughter a general," Mothma said.

"A general?" Leia repeated incredulously. Mothma turned back to face Leia who had swung her legs off the bed. "Why?"

"This war isn't over," Mothma said. "The Death Star and the Emperor may be gone, but the Imperial apparatus still remains."

"And you want me to help destroy it," Leia said.

"I do," Mothma said with a nod. "I remember your father from the Clone Wars. He was one of the greatest generals the Republic had."

Leia considered Mothma for a few seconds silently. Finally she stood up and discarded of the broken chains still clinging to her wrists. "What is in this for me?" she asked. "I have no reason to help you defeat the Empire."

Mothma pursed her lips. Clearly she had been expecting to bargain Leia's freedom for her support, but that was no longer an option for her. "I think you should do it," Luke said suddenly.

Leia turned to him sharply. "Do you now?" she asked venomously.

Luke swallowed hard but refused to be intimidated. "Yeah, I do," he said. "I think it would give you some structure in your life."

"Structure?" Leia repeated.

"You know, something to focus on," Luke said. "If anything, it will help distract you from… from what happened."

Leia looked down, considering this point. "I don't want to fight for the Republic," she said eventually. "I don't care about that."

"Then fight for yourself," Luke said. "Fight to destroy the last vestiges of Sidious' tyranny. Liberate the rest of the galaxy from his grip just like you did for yourself."

Leia blinked a few times, clearly surprised by this statement. Taking advantage of the silence, Padmé crossed the room and took Luke's hand. "That was very beautifully said, Luke," she told him, her eyes shining with pride. Luke blushed at the praise, feeling a powerful surge of happiness wash over him as he looked down at his mother's radiant face. "I think you should listen to your brother," Padmé said, looking away from Luke to Leia. "Even if you don't care about the cause, helping defeat the Empire would at the very least be a cathartic experience for you."

Leia narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Padmé. "I told you I'm done being used," she said icily. "I don't appreciate being manipulated like this."

"We're not manipulating you, Leia," Padmé said quickly, releasing Luke's hand. "We're trying to help you."

"You just want to use me to defeat the Empire!" she accused, holding her finger up at Padmé. "I'm not a tool anymore!"

"Leia, stop this," Padmé said sternly. "I am not trying to use you. All I want is what's best for you."

"That's what Vader said," Leia said.

"And in the end, that was true, wasn't it?"

Leia stiffened and took a step away from Padmé, her eyes shut tight. Luke cringed when he realized Padmé's mistake. It was too soon for her. Her father's death was still too fresh. Any mention of him would be too painful for her to bear.

Luke stepped forward and grabbed Leia's left arm. "Hey," he said. "We don't want to push you into anything."

Leia opened her eyes and shook her head. "Leave," she said. Stunned, Luke's mouth fell open and his grip slackened. "Leave!" she repeated loudly. Luke dropped her arm and took a step back toward Padmé. "Leave me alone! Go away!"

"Come on, Luke," Padmé whispered to him. "Give her some space."

"Leia –" Luke tried to say.

"Get out!" Leia shrieked, pointing to the door.

"We didn't mean to –"

"Now!"

Dejected, Luke allowed Padmé to drag him out of the room. When she closed the door behind her, Luke felt tears begin to well up in his eyes once again. Wordlessly, Padmé embraced him. Luke vaguely remembered that Mothma was still watching them, but Luke didn't care. He felt so deflated and helpless, and no doubt Padmé did as well.

"Just give her time," Padmé whispered into his ear, her voice garbled with tears of her own. Luke nodded his head against her shoulder and shut his eyes tight. Tears streamed down his face and into his mother's hair. "Give her some space," Padmé said. "She'll come around eventually."

Luke hoped desperately that she was right.

* * *

_**Author's Note: **_On a side note totally unrelated to this story, how awesome was that trailer they released at D23? For a prequel fan such as myself, I think it's awesome that their paying homage to the first three episodes as well as the OT. Here's to hoping they make reference to the prequel era somehow in IX!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Leia was furious. They were trying to use her! After everything, they still saw her as a tool just like Sidious did.

_You're pathetic, Vitrius. You can't see how you are nothing but a pawn._

Had Sidious been right? Was she being a fool for believing that anyone would ever view her as something other than a pawn? Perhaps that was what she was destined to become. A blunt object, useful for inflicting damage on others but never for doing anything truly special.

_You are destined for greatness, Leia, not servitude._

That had been what her father had told her. He alone had believed in her. He alone had truly wanted what was best for her. He alone had truly loved her.

And now he was gone.

Leia's face contorted in a furious sorrow. It wasn't fair! Why had he had to die? Why did he have to leave her?

_I'll never leave you, my love. I will always be with you._

"Liar!" Leia shrieked, falling to the floor by the side of the bed. "You left me!" Digging her fingernails into her forehead, Leia screamed until her throat was sore. The little window on the door shattered, showering her feet with shards of glass. Without registering the damage she had caused, Leia put her head in between her knees and began to sob.

"Why did you lie to me?" she wailed. "Why did you have to leave me?"

Leia didn't know how long she stayed like this. After a while she ran out of tears to shed, but she continued sobbing, her back heaving up and down. Her head throbbed dully and red imprints dotted her forehead from where her fingernails had dug into her skin.

She had never before felt so lost. She had been reassured when she had woken up to find Luke and Padmé by her side. They had promised to look after her and protect her.

_It's horrible that he's gone, but you still have us, Leia. You don't have to feel like you're alone._

_We're always going to be there for you._

Liars! Duplicitous bastards! They claimed to love and support her, but then they tried to manipulate her and turn her into a weapon for the Rebellion. They didn't care about her! They just wanted to weaponize her, just like Sidious!

But Leia knew that wasn't really true. She knew deep down that Luke and Padmé did love her. They just didn't understand her like her father had. They didn't understand that she didn't want to be turned into a puppet of the Rebels. They might have thought that they were looking after her best interests, but they simply didn't know her well enough to do that. Nobody understood her. Her father had been the only one…

Leia looked up sharply when she heard a knock on the door. "Go away, Luke!" she yelled, wiping her bloodshot eyes with the back of her hand. "I don't want to talk to –"

The door swung open. Standing in the doorframe was not Luke, but Master Yoda. The wizened grandmaster stepped into the room, brushing the shards of glass out of the way with a casual swipe of his hand.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her throat feeling raw from all the screaming and crying.

"Knew your father, I did," Yoda said, ignoring her question. "Not well enough, however." Leia said nothing, too exhausted to tell Yoda off. She was a bit curious to hear about her father as a young man, however. "Came to me, he did," Yoda said. "Full of fear, he was. Dreams, he told me he was having. Afraid, he was, of losing someone."

"My mother," Leia said hoarsely. "He thought she was going to die."

Yoda nodded and leaned on his cane. "Know of his marriage at the time, I did not," he said. "Foolish, I was. Let go of his fears and attachments, I told him. Death is a part of life, I said."

"Why are you telling me this?" Leia asked bluntly.

"Repeat the same mistakes, I will not," Yoda said resolutely. "Failed your father, I did. Fail you, I will not."

"Why do you care?" she asked bitterly. "You want to use me too, don't you?"

"Restored balance to the Force, your father did," Yoda said. "Maintain that balance, our job is now. Impossible, this will be, if you are in pain."

"Well there's nothing you can do to help me," she said, her voice dripping with acrimony. "I'm always in pain. There's nothing that can change that."

Yoda sighed heavily and bowed his head. "To avoid pain, a Jedi's purpose was," he mused wearily. "Convinced, we were, that pain led to the dark side. Isolate ourselves from others, we thought was the solution. Forbid ourselves to form attachments, we did for centuries. Foolish, we were. Prevention of pain, isolation does not create. On the contrary, inflict pain upon young Skywalker, the code did. Forced to live in secret, he was, because of the code. Driven to the dark side, he was by us. By me."

"What are you saying?" Leia asked curiously.

"Avoid pain entirely, we cannot," Yoda said. "Foolish, we were to assume that one could achieve this. Control it, we can, however. Limit it, we must."

"All I know is pain!" Leia yelled, smashing her fist down against the linoleum floor. "There's nothing that can stop it! Not the dark side! Not the light side! Nothing! Nothing can stop me from suffering!"

Yoda nodded solemnly, a compassionate expression etched upon his supremely old face. "Understand your pain, I do," he said.

"Is that so?" Leia asked skeptically.

"Tremendous guilt, I feel," he said. "Felt the deaths of my fellow Jedi, I did. Responsible, I felt and still feel, for their deaths. Haunted, I am, by their ghosts."

Leia blinked a few times, surprised by Yoda's candor. "Well at least you got to live for what, a thousand years?" she said. "Your life hasn't been all pain like mine has."

"If in pain you are constantly, how do you know what pain is?" Yoda asked, tilting his head curiously.

Leia hesitated, considering this question. "I… I don't know," she said. "It's pain! You don't have to know what it is to feel it."

"Wrong, you are," Yoda said. "In pain, you may have been, under Sidious' tutelage, but hurt by it, you were not."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Leia asked indignantly. "You think I'm lying? You think I was only pretending to be in pain when he would torture me?"

Yoda shook his head. "Appreciate your pain fully, you did not," he said. "Only when you met your family, did you finally understand. Only when you learned to love, did you truly learn to hurt."

Stunned by this wisdom, Leia's mouth fell open. She wanted to object, but deep down she knew that Yoda was right. Yes, her life had been miserable during her time with Sidious, but she had never had anything to compare it to. She had become numb to the pain over the years. That coupled with Vader's support had prevented her from going insane. Yet all that changed when she met her mother. Perhaps it had started the first time she laid eyes on her, even though she hadn't known who she was at the time. Perhaps it had started when she put on that yellow dress for the first time and heard her mother say she looked beautiful. Perhaps it had started when she told Luke that she loved him.

Regardless of when it had happened, Leia knew now that her life had been irrevocably altered by Luke and Padmé. They had taught her how to love, and as a consequence she had learned how horrible her life had been. Now she had a reference point. Now she knew what it was she had been missing all her life.

"Love leads to pain," Yoda said glumly. "An undeniable truth, this is. That is why we Jedi feared it so much. Yet know now, I do, that love is much more than a pathway to suffering. Taught me this, your father did. Sacrificed himself, he did, because of his love for you. Fulfilled his destiny, he did, because of love. Embodied the dual nature of love, the Chosen One did. Forced to the dark side, he was because of his love for his wife. Yet reborn and redeemed, he also was, because of his love for his daughter."

At this point, tears were beginning to stream down Leia's cheeks once more. The simple beauty of Yoda's words were simply too much for her in her fragile emotional state. Yet these tears were different from the ones from before. These tears weren't for sorrow or for pain, but for something else. Something far more poignant. Closing her eyes, she could see her father smiling at her in his last moments, his bright blue eyes shining with pride and affection for her.

"_You saved me." _he had said. _"Leia, my love. You saved me."_

"Save you as well, love can," the perspicacious Grandmaster said. "Alleviate your pain, it can. Love you immensely, your brother and your mother do. Let them love you, you must. Let them heal you, you ought."

"But they don't understand me like my father did," Leia protested weakly. "They don't know me."

"Only because you won't let them," Yoda countered. "Allow them to help you, you must. Help you, they can and save you, they will if you let them."

* * *

Luke was seated at the base of the on ramp to the Millennium Falcon. Above him, he heard Han and Chewbacca talking to each other animatedly as they went about performing haphazard repairs on the surface of the freighter.

"Not that one, you furry oaf!"

Luke smiled a bit when Chewbacca roared indignantly back at Han. With a sigh, Luke's smile faded as he looked back down. He was holding Obi-Wan's lightsaber in his hands, turning it over slowly as he explored every detail of the hallowed weapon.

_Be careful of your emotions, Luke._

That had been what Obi-Wan had told him. Be careful. What did that even mean? Did Obi-Wan want him to not have emotions at all? Did he want him to be a stoic? Or perhaps he was just warning Luke to not let his emotions affect him too much. If that was the case, how was he supposed to do that? He was awash in emotions, most of which were negative. He felt frustrated at Leia for refusing to believe that he and Padmé didn't have ulterior motives, angry at Mothma for forcing Leia into a corner, but most of all he was disappointed in himself. Once again, he felt helpless. He felt inadequate. He felt like a failure.

"Mind if I join you?"

Luke looked up from Obi-Wan's lightsaber to see his mother standing in front of him. She was wearing a white jacket and her hair was done up with a single braid running along the top of her head from ear to ear. In that moment, Luke could see just how much Leia looked like her.

"Sure," he mumbled. Padmé smiled sweetly at him and walked forward to sit down next to him on the ramp. Luke sighed again as he reattached Obi-Wan's lightsaber to his belt.

"How are you?" she asked softly, her arms wrapped around her knees.

"Alright," Luke said disingenuously.

"Luke, look at me." Luke complied, turning his head to meet her sympathetic gaze. "You have to think about yourself sometimes," she told him. "I know you want to help Leia, but you shouldn't do that at the expense of your own mental state."

"What do you mean?" Luke asked.

"You've been through a traumatic experience as well, Luke," she said. "You watched your father die in front of you."

"I barely knew him," Luke murmured. "It's Leia who –"

"Don't do that, Luke," Padmé interrupted sternly. "Don't downplay yourself just because Leia has had it worse."

"But that's the thing, Mom. She's been through so much. All I want to do is help her, yet she won't let me. She won't let either of us."

Padmé looked away from him and stared off blankly at the hangar. The place was still in ruins from when Leia had smashed up the ships in her attempt to escape. The Rebels were doing their best to salvage the fleet, but Leia had certainly done a number on it. It was no wonder Mothma was so adamant about containing her.

"Sometimes you can't help everyone," Padmé said after a brief silence. "Sometimes things are out of your control."

"But they shouldn't be out of my control!" Luke protested. "I'm her brother! She should be able to trust me!"

Padmé shook her head and exhaled deeply. "I used to be a lot like you," she said. "I was elected queen when I was fourteen years old. I was horribly naïve. I thought that because I was queen, I would be able to make a real difference. I thought I was going to be able to help anyone and everyone with my new position of power. I devised new tax brackets to alleviate the pressure on the middle class, developed incentive programs to spur economic mobility, and I even intended to promulgate legislation designed to improve Gungan-Human relations." Padmé paused when she noticed that Luke's eyes had begun to glaze over.

"That sounds great," Luke said quickly when he noticed her quizzical expression.

Padmé chuckled and shook her head. "It's alright," she said. "I don't mean to bore you."

"You're not boring me," Luke insisted.

Smiling at him, Padmé took a moment before continuing. "The point is, I never got to follow through with most of those plans. When I arrived in Theed, I quickly found out that the Naboo aristocracy can be as conniving as they are conservative. They sought to block me at every turn. When I finally began to make some progress, everything came falling apart when the Trade Federation invaded. All my dreams were shattered. I never told anyone about this, but I experienced horrible depression after the invasion was defeated. I felt as if everything I had worked to accomplish had been for naught. I felt totally helpless just like you do now."

Luke looked up at her sharply. "How do you know that?" he asked.

"I'm your mother, Luke," she told him with another dazzling smile. "And besides, you're just like me. I can read you like a holobook."

"Oh," Luke said, looking away from her to watch Han and Chewie working above them.

"I felt like a failure," Padmé said. "The only thing that saved me was realizing that there was only so much I could do as a queen. You need to make that same realization, Luke. You're trying so hard to help your sister and are feeling horrible about yourself because it doesn't seem like it's working. You have to understand that this isn't your fault. You have to appreciate that there is only so much you can do for her."

Luke closed his eyes and bowed his head. "I can't do that," he said. "I can't just give up."

"I'm not telling you to give up," Padmé said as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You just need to come to grips with reality. If Leia doesn't want to be helped, there's nothing you can do to change that. If you don't accept this fact, you're never going to be able to stop feeling depressed."

Luke turned to look at her and smiled sadly. "You're right," he said. "I just wish you weren't."

Padmé reciprocated his smile and moved her hand off his shoulder to cup his cheek. "I am so proud of you, Luke," she said. "I want you to know that. You're not a failure. You are a remarkable young man and I am so proud that you are my son."

"Thanks, Mom," Luke said, blushing with the praise. "And I'm proud to have you as my mother."

Padmé's smile broadened as she trailed her fingernails up and down his cheek. Feeling uniquely comfortable in his mother's company, Luke rested his head against her shoulder and closed his eyes once again. As Padmé cradled his head and gently stroked his hair, Luke could sense a gush of affection emanating from his mother toward him.

"I love you, Mom," he told her.

"I love you too, Luke."

* * *

After Yoda had gone, Leia decided that she had had enough of the med ward. Still dressed in the hospital gown, Leia shivered as she meandered down the chilly hallways. She didn't have anywhere to go, but that didn't bother her. She just needed something to do with her limbs. Leia had never been one who was able to sit still for long stretches of time.

Technically, she was still under arrest and she suspected that Mothma wouldn't have wanted her to be roaming about the base like this. She didn't care, however. She considered returning to her room on the base, but ultimately decided against it. Instead, she gravitated toward the small room in the west wing of the base where she had begun training Luke a few weeks ago.

The room was dark and frigid. As she closed the door behind her, a faint fluorescent lamp lit up when it sensed movement. Leia's breath condensed in front of her as she rubbed her bare, goosebumps-laden arms in a vain attempt to warm up. The room was empty with the exception of a frosty remote droid which was stored away in a corner. Leia had used that remote a lot during that week when Vader had been torturing her. Before she had known that Luke's presence shielded her from Vader, she had resorted to training with the remote whenever the pain had gotten too bad. Exercise had always had a soothing effect on her. It cleared her mind and helped her forget the pain for a little while.

Yet now she didn't have her lightsaber. She didn't know if the Rebels had it or if she had lost it on the Death Star. Either way, she had lost access to her one proven coping method. She was trapped with her own thoughts now. Feeling frustrated, Leia sat down cross legged in the middle of the floor. Closing her eyes, Leia attempted to clear her mind and focus on the calming nature of the Force. Her attempt was futile, however. All she could think about was Yoda's advice.

"_Save you as well, love can_," he had said. "_Alleviate your pain, it can. Love you immensely, your brother and your mother do. Let them love you, you must. Let them heal you, you ought_."

Could she really do that, though? And what exactly did that even mean? Did it mean giving in to their pressure and accepting Mothma's offer? If that was the case, then Leia couldn't do that. She didn't want to help the Rebellion. She didn't want to feel like a tool anymore. She had killed Sidious and tried to kill Vader so that she wouldn't ever be used again. She wouldn't allow Luke and Padmé to force her into this. She was done with being manipulated and exploited.

But that wasn't really what they were doing. Deep down, Leia understood the difference between Sidious and her mother. Padmé wasn't a duplicitous schemer like Sidious had been. She genuinely thought she was looking out for Leia's best interests. It wasn't her fault that she didn't understand why Leia didn't want to become a member of the Rebellion.

"I thought I'd find you in here."

Leia opened her eyes to see a long shadow looming in front of her. "Luke," she said, recognizing his shaggy hair and gentle voice.

"What are you doing?" he asked cautiously.

"Meditating," Leia said. "Unsuccessfully, that is."

Luke walked around her so that she could see his face. Leia craned her head to look at him. His lips were pursed nervously as if he didn't know how she was going to react to him.

"I'm not angry at you," she said, relieving him of his uneasiness.

Luke smiled weakly and loosened up a bit. "You should be," he said. "Mom and I were wrong to pressure you like that."

"No, you weren't wrong, Luke," Leia said, looking down at Luke's feet. "I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. It was wrong of me to accuse you of wanting to use me."

Luke's faint smile broadened and he extended his hand down to her. Reciprocating his smile, Leia reached up and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

"I guess we both were in the wrong," he said. Leia nodded and released Luke's hand. Feeling uncharacteristically awkward in front of her brother, Leia rubbed the back of her neck, not sure what to say. Glancing down, Leia noticed two lightsabers dangling from Luke's belt.

"Hey, is that mine?" she asked, pointing to the spare.

"Huh? Oh, no. This is Obi-Wan's," Luke said.

Leia flinched, still feeling tremendously guilty about having killed the old Jedi. "Where is mine?" she managed to ask.

"Gone," Luke said. "It was on the Death Star." Leia nodded again and swallowed hard. She had suspected that that had been the case. Nonetheless, it still hurt to get confirmation. She had loved her lightsaber. It had been her most prized possession. It had been one of the few things she owned that was undeniably hers and not Sidious'. She had made it and she had loved it for that fact.

"Do you want Obi-Wan's?" Luke asked. "You need a weapon, don't you?"

Leia shook her head vigorously. She couldn't bear the prospect of taking Obi-Wan's lightsaber. "I'll make a new one," she said. Luke pursed his lips and contemplated her for a moment. Suddenly, he reached to his belt. "No, Luke. I mean it –"

"Take this one."

Luke held out her father's lightsaber to her. It was very similarly designed to her old weapon, albeit a bit bigger and bulkier. Vader had guided her when she had constructed her weapon all those years ago, so it wasn't surprising that the two hilts looked so much alike.

"I can't," she said. "That's yours."

"You should have it," Luke insisted. "I can use Obi-Wan's."

"But Luke –"

"Take it. I barely knew him at all. It belongs with you."

"But –"

"Leia. Take it," Luke said sternly.

Leia bit her lower lip as she stared at the familiar hilt. She didn't want to take it from Luke. It was all he had from his father. But then again, she didn't have anything herself to remember him by. Wasn't it only fair that their father's lightsaber go to her and not Luke?

At once, Leia felt horrible for thinking this. Why should it matter that she had known Vader while Luke had not? That didn't mean that Luke didn't deserve to wield his father's weapon. Besides, that weapon had belonged to Skywalker, not Vader. Luke was more qualified to be the owner of that particular blade.

"I shouldn't," she said.

Luke lowered his arm a bit in disappointment. "Are you doing this for some stupid noble reason?" he asked.

"What? No!"

"Yes, you are," Luke said. "You feel guilty about taking Obi-Wan's weapon because you killed him and you don't want to take our father's weapon because you feel unworthy. Is that right?"

Leia's mouth fell open slightly. "No," she said lamely. "I just…"

"Just what?"

"It's too big for my hands," she claimed. "Besides, it's too heavy for me. I prefer a lighter hilt."

"Leia?"

"Hmm?"

"Take the goddamn lightsaber."

Leia sighed and looked up at the ceiling. Why did he have to be so stubborn?

"I'm going to drop it on the ground and leave if you don't take it," he said. "It doesn't make any sense for me to have two lightsabers and you to have none."

Leia bobbed her head, conceding this point. "Especially since you have no idea how to use them," she added.

"Hey!" Luke exclaimed. "I know how to use them!"

"Luke, please," Leia said playfully. "It's a miracle you haven't sliced off one of your own limbs by accident yet." As Luke sputtered indignantly, Leia reached out and swiped the lightsaber out of Luke's hand. "I'll keep this for now," she said, attaching it to her own belt. "As soon as I make a new one, however, I'm giving it back to you."

"I don't know, that seems a bit risky," Luke said with mock consternation. "I could hurt myself with that, you know."

"It's a risk I'm willing to take," Leia said with a cheeky smile. "It's not such a big deal if you wallop off your hand by mistake, we can always give you a prosthetic."

Luke shook his head, but he couldn't contain his own grin. "Very funny," he said.

"I'm dead serious," Leia said. "They make incredible prosthetics nowadays."

Luke laughed, causing Leia to feel a swell of happiness build up within her. Laughter was still such a foreign concept to her. Even so, she felt supremely happy to see Luke laughing, and at her joke no less.

"Well I'm going to try and avoid that," he said. "I want to get better. I really do. Do you think we could continue training?"

Leia's smile faded as she considered this. Did she really want to continue training Luke after everything that had happened? "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Of course!" he said. "I want to get better. I want to get as good as you."

"But why?" she asked. "Why do you want to be anything like me?"

Luke blinked a few times as he processed this apparently dumbfounding question. "Because you're amazing, Leia," he said finally. "You blow me away! Do you really not know how incredible you are?"

"You don't want to be like me," she said, shaking her head.

"But I do!" Luke insisted.

"I'm a Sith, Luke! I'm horrible!"

"I don't care about that," Luke said, placing his hands on her shoulders. "And neither should you. You're not like Sidious, Leia. You're something different. Something special."

Leia looked away from him and wrinkled her nose. "I'm not special," she said bitterly.

Luke sighed and released her shoulders. "Do you remember what you told Mom that day after you found out the truth? About being a slave to the darkness?" Leia looked back at him and nodded. "You said that the dark side completely engulfs you and obfuscates all facets of your personality, or something stupid like that. Do you remember that?"

"Yes," Leia said. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"It's not true!" Luke exclaimed.

"Yes it is," Leia insisted automatically.

"Then you must be one hell of an outlier," Luke said .

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Leia, there's so much more to you than darkness!"

"Ugh!" Leia exclaimed, spinning away from Luke and walking away. "You and Mom keep saying that even when it's so clearly not true!"

"Not true?" Luke repeated incredulously.

"I am a monster!" Leia bellowed, turning back to face him. "I strangled my own mother! I killed Obi-Wan! I left Bail Organa behind to die! I even tried to kill my own father! I am a despicable, heartless monster just like Sidious and it's for the best that you don't become anything like me, Luke."

"You're wrong," Luke said at once causing Leia to roll her eyes and throw her hands in the air exasperatedly. "Yes, you've done horrible things. But that's not what I see when I look at you."

"Oh yeah? What do you see?"

"I see my sister," Luke said without hesitation. "And she's an amazing, beautiful person. She's incredibly smart, funny, and determined. She inspires me like no one else ever has. And even though she's flawed, even though she's been broken down by years of abuse, she's still the strongest person I've ever met." Leia swallowed hard and felt her eyes begin to sting with unwanted tears. "That's why I want her to train me," Luke continued. "Because I strive to be more like her."

Leia made an undignified sound which was something between a laugh and a sob. "You're an idiot, Luke," she managed to say, her throat constricted painfully with emotion.

"Maybe so," Luke conceded. "What do you say?"

Leia looked up at him, smiling despite the tremor in her lower lip.

"_You're crazy_," she had said to her mother so long ago on the Death Star.

"_Maybe I am_," she had told her. "_Will you help me?_"

"Will you train me?"

Leia sighed deeply, marveling at how similar Luke was to his mother. They had a power over her that neither Vader nor Sidious had ever possessed. It was manipulative, in a sense, but in the moment Leia didn't even care. They were so genuine, it caught Leia completely off guard every time. She had never before known that anyone in the galaxy could be so sincere and loving.

"Alright," she said, giving in to Luke's charm. "I'll do it."

* * *

Luke and Leia spent the entire afternoon together under the guise of training, but Leia knew that they really just enjoyed spending time together. While they had initially started training against the remote, the so-called training session had essentially dissolved into them playing with lightsabers. While she had attempted to dissuade Luke from being so casual with such a powerful and, in her opinion, sacrosanct weapon, she had been unable to maintain the dour attitude. Slowly, Luke had broken through her coarse exterior and gotten her to loosen up.

Leia could scarcely remember ever laughing as much as she did that afternoon. A small voice in the back of her head reprimanded her for giggling like a little girl with Luke, but soon she learned to block that voice out and enjoy Luke's company unhindered by her oppressive conscience. When Luke finally departed for the night, Leia's cheeks were sore from having smiled so much. No doubt, those muscles could use some serious strengthening.

As Leia deactivated the remote droid and laid it down in the corner, her smile finally faded. While she had had a lot of fun, she hadn't actually resolved anything with Luke. They were still at an impasse. He wanted her to accept Mothma's offer to become a general for the Rebellion, but Leia just couldn't do that. Even though she could acknowledge now that Luke and Padmé weren't manipulating her like Sidious, she still had reservations about giving in to their pressure.

What would it say about her if she became a general for the Rebellion? She didn't want to be the type of person who fought for a cause she didn't support. She wasn't going to sell herself out like that. Vader had told her she was destined for greatness, not servitude. But what did greatness even mean? What was she supposed to do with her powers? It felt like a waste to not use them, but if she was going to use them, it would be on her terms, not Mothma's.

Suddenly, an idea struck her. She did have something to fight for, after all. Something that would give her purpose. Something that would redeem her!

"I hope I can make you proud, Father," she said to the empty room. "I know what I have to do."

She of course received no response. Refusing to be disheartened, Leia took a deep breath and spun around, striding out of the room with a renewed sense of purpose.

Realizing that it was probably inappropriate for her to seek an audience with Mothma while she was still wearing her hospital gown, Leia decided to make a quick pit stop at her room on the base. While she normally would have had to deliberate for a long time before choosing something to wear from her mother's extensive wardrobe, she was too excited now to care what it was she was going to wear. Stripping off the gown, Leia grabbed the first outfit she saw and threw it on.

Fortunately, she had chosen one of the more practical gowns her mother owned. Nonetheless, she couldn't help but feel a little ridiculous as she made her way out of her room and toward Mothma's office. Pushing her perpetual self-consciousness aside, Leia made a turn down an icy hallway. Reaching Mothma's office, Leia rapped on the door thrice. When she received no response, Leia placed her hands on her hips and growled irritably. She knew it was late, but nevertheless Leia had expected Mothma to still be here.

As she raised her hand to knock for a second time, however, the door swung open revealing Bail Organa, his arm still suspended in a sling. Clearly surprised, Organa did a double take when he saw her.

"Bail, who is it?" she heard Mothma ask from the room.

Organa blinked a few times before turning his head to address Mothma. "It's her," he said simply. Turning back to Leia, Organa gave her a smile which would have been winsome had it not been for his mangled countenance. "Come in, Leia," he said, stepping aside to allow her entry.

Wordlessly, Leia walked past Organa into Mothma's office. Leia noted with begrudging appreciation that the Senator's office was sparsely decorated. A single mahogany desk dominated the circular room, two wooden chairs oriented on either side. The minimalist décor contrasted starkly with the ostentatious and gaudy style she had become used to from Sidious' various offices, apartments, and throne rooms.

"Ms. Skywalker," Mothma said stiffly, standing up from her seat behind the desk when Leia entered the room. "What are you doing here?"

From behind her she heard Organa close the door and walk to her side. "I wanted to discuss your proposition," Leia said, feeling considerably more confident with Organa standing next to her.

"Is that so?" Mothma asked skeptically. "I was under the impression that you weren't interested."

"I'm not," Leia said candidly. "But I may be if you agree to one condition."

Mothma arched an eyebrow curiously. Glancing at Organa, Mothma crossed her arms in front of her chest and raised her chin. "Alright, Ms. Skywalker," she said. "Let's hear it."

* * *

Padmé had just turned the lights off to go to bed when she heard a knock on her door. Sighing, Padmé pushed her blanket off and slipped out of bed. With a snap of her fingers, the fluorescent lights came back on. Squinting, Padmé meandered over to her dresser. Wrapping herself in a scratchy woolen shawl, Padmé made her way to the door.

"I'm coming!" she said irritably when whoever was outside knocked again. "It's too late for this," she grumbled to herself. Her vexation faded, however, when she opened the door and found Leia standing in the hallway. She was wearing one of her favorite senatorial gowns; a simple velvet purple dress inlaid with opal and diamond along the collar.

"Leia!" Padmé exclaimed, surprised to see her at this hour.

"I know it's late, but I had to talk to you," she said a bit woodenly.

"Of course," Padmé said. "Come in."

"No, I shouldn't intrude," Leia said at once.

"Intrude? Leia, you're not intruding," Padmé said, feeling frustrated at her daughter's awkward behavior around her. She never was so reticent or aloof when she was with Luke.

"Are you sure? It looks like you were just about to go to bed."

"Leia, you're my daughter," Padmé said sternly. "You can bother me whenever you want. Now come in before I drag you in myself."

The corner of Leia's lip twitched in amusement, yet she didn't smile fully. Leia never really smiled to anyone but Luke, Padmé noted bitterly. "Alright," she said.

Padmé turned around and led Leia into her room. She paused in front of the mirror and looked at Leia's reflection from behind her. "You look lovely in that dress," she said, turning around to face her. "I used to wear that when –" Padmé stopped abruptly when she saw Leia's strained expression. "Leia? What's wrong?"

Leia shook her head and looked down. "I know I'm a disappointment to you," she said.

"Disappointment?" Padmé said, startled by this confession. "Leia, what are you talking about?"

"I strangled you, Mom," she said hoarsely. "Right over there," she said, pointing a few feet to Padmé's right. "Do you not remember that?"

"Of course I do, but –"

"I know you don't like me. I don't blame you."

"Leia!" Padmé exclaimed, aghast. "What makes you say that?"

"I can sense it," she said. "Every time you look at me, I feel it."

"Feel what?" Padmé asked.

"Resentment," she said. "Disappointment."

Padmé shook her head vigorously and stepped toward Leia. "You're wrong," she said, reaching out and grabbing her daughter's hand. "I love you, Leia. How can you think that I don't?"

"You don't need to lie to me," Leia said.

"I'm not lying!" Padmé insisted.

"It's alright," Leia said. "I understand."

"No, you don't," Padmé said angrily. Releasing Leia's hand, Padmé crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I am not disappointed in you nor do I resent you."

"Then why do I sense that?" Leia asked.

Padmé hesitated and looked away toward the mirror. With a sigh, Padmé closed her eyes and felt her shoulders droop wearily under the weight of the shawl. "I'm not disappointed in you, I'm disappointed in myself," she said.

"In yourself?" Leia repeated. "I don't understand."

Padmé opened her eyes and smiled softly at Leia. "It's horrible of me, but I can't help it," she said. "Every time I look at you, I feel frustrated."

"Frustrated?"

"I want you to look at me the same way you look at Luke," Padmé confessed, reaching out and grabbing Leia's forearms. "I wish that you could be yourself around me. Instead, whenever I'm near you…you recoil from me." Leia's eyes widened a bit, but she didn't say anything so Padmé continued. "I don't understand why. Was it something I did? Was it something Vader told you about me?"

"No," Leia said, shaking her head. "It's me. It's all my fault."

"What do you mean?" Padmé asked.

Leia looked down at their interlocked arms and frowned. "I was afraid of you," she admitted.

"Afraid? What of?" Padmé asked incredulously. How could it be that a Sith Lord found her intimidating?

"I was afraid of what I felt when I was around you," Leia said, unable to meet Padmé's gaze. "From the moment I met you, I knew that I felt different around you. I didn't understand it and I was afraid of what it meant. I tried to keep you at arm's length, but I wasn't able to. I was weak. I was desperate to get any sort of affection from you because I had never received it from anyone else before in my life." Leia paused and pursed her lips, clearly having a tough time talking about her feelings like this. "After I… after it happened, I was no longer afraid of you but of myself. I was afraid of what I might do to you if I allowed myself to get closer to you. So I did everything I could to keep you away from me. I wanted you to be afraid of me. I wanted you to hate me. That way I figured I could keep you safe."

Padmé swallowed hard and reached up to cup Leia's left cheek. "Oh, Leia," she said softly. "You didn't have to do that."

"Yes, I did," Leia insisted, turning away from Padmé's touch. "I nearly killed you, Mom. I don't want to do that again."

"You won't," Padmé said firmly. "You've come so far since then. You're no longer Darth Vitrius. You're my daughter, Leia Amidala Skywalker." Leia nodded and sniffled loudly. "I don't want you to push me away ever again, alright?" Padmé said. "I don't want you to try and protect me from yourself. I don't want you to do that. I want to be there for you no matter what."

Leia looked up at her and gave her a genuine smile which made Padmé's heart melt. "Okay," she said in a small voice. Overwhelmed with emotion and motherly affection, Padmé surprised Leia by pulling her in tight for a hug. Blinking away a few tears, Padmé rested her chin on the soft fabric of the right shoulder of Leia's dress.

"I'm going to make you proud, Mom," Leia told her, her voice muffled a bit due to the hug. "I want to make you proud."

"You already have, Leia," Padmé said tearfully as she squeezed her daughter even tighter. "You already have."

* * *

_**Author's Note**_: Thank you all for reading up to this point! I really do appreciate receiving support and feedback from you. The next chapter is going to be the last one for this story which I will be posting next Monday. I will also be posting the first chapter of the most recent story I have been working on then as well, so please do consider checking it out if you enjoy my writing.


	16. Epilogue

Epilogue

_Two Years Later_

"I do solemnly swear to uphold the responsibilities of the office of Chancellor."

"I do solemnly swear to uphold the responsibilities of the office of Chancellor. May the Force be with me."

Leia leapt to her feet and joined in the raucous applause as she beamed up at her mother who was receiving the adulation with a solemn yet determined expression. Glancing behind her, Leia saw Luke standing on his feet as well next to Han. The dashing smuggler turned Rebel saw her looking at them and gave her a wink, causing Leia to blush and look away quickly.

"You must be very proud, General Skywalker."

Leia looked to her left to see General Dodonna and Admiral Ackbar standing in front of her.

"Extremely," Leia affirmed with her patented dazzling smile which she had perfected over the years. Shaking hands with her colleagues, Leia excused herself quickly when she saw Mon Mothma approaching.

She made to escape into the crowd, but Mothma was too quick for her. "Leia!" she called out, pushing past Dodonna and Ackbar toward her. "Leia, wait up!"

Unable to pretend as if she hadn't heard her, Leia sighed and turned around slowly to face her. "Senator Mothma," she said, a false smile plastered on her face. "How are you?"

"I wanted to talk to you in private," Mothma said, skipping the formalities.

Leia's faux smile faded at once. Glancing around her, she searched in vain for Luke or Han, desperate for an excuse to push off this inevitable conversation.

"I won't be long," Mothma said, detecting Leia's reluctance.

Resigned to her fate, Leia's shoulders drooped. "Fine," she said. Mothma nodded and led her through the crowd and out of the spacious amphitheater. Ducking behind a marble Doric column, Mothma turned around to face her.

"I'm not going to ask her for you, if that's what you want," Leia said before Mothma had a chance to speak.

"Ask her? Ask her what?" Mothma said, a perplexed expression etched across her face.

"To appoint you to her cabinet," Leia said. "I know that's what you want."

Mothma blinked a few times in surprise before responding. "That's not what I wanted to talk to you about," she said.

"Really?" Leia said, feeling somewhat embarrassed for being so bellicose toward the senator. Leia had come to learn that politicians always had ulterior motives, and she doubted Mothma was any different. Besides, they had a bad history to say the least.

"No," Mothma said. "I actually wanted to apologize."

"Apologize?" Leia repeated incredulously.

Mothma smiled wryly at Leia's bewilderment. "I will admit, I resented you for a long while," she said. Leia nodded impassively; this was hardly a surprise. After all, she had practically ruined her political career. "But I've come to realize that I was mistaken about you."

"Is that so?" Leia said curiously. "May I ask what caused this development?" she asked cordially, replicating her mother's diplomatic posture.

"I was bitter for a long time, I won't deny it," Mothma said. "It felt like a coup."

"You didn't have to accept my condition," Leia said. "You didn't have to resign."

"I know that," Mothma said. "But I cared about the cause too much. I knew that we couldn't defeat the Empire without you, so I caved."

"It was admirable of you to do that," Leia said genuinely. While she no doubt had done her best to avoid Mothma over the past two years, it wasn't out of lack of respect for the elder stateswoman. On the contrary, Leia respected Mothma tremendously. It had been remarkably gallant of her to accept Leia's demand and allow Padmé to assume control of the Rebel Alliance. It demonstrated how fervently she supported the cause. She had been willing to sacrifice her political ambitions to see the Empire destroyed.

"Perhaps," Mothma admitted humbly. "But I didn't see it that way at the time. I figured you and your mother had conspired to overthrow me." Leia opened her mouth to object, but Mothma interrupted her. "I know now that I was wrong," she said. "It's clear to me that both you and Padmé have only the purest of intentions. I wanted to apologize for ever doubting you, Leia. It has been an honor to serve beside you for the past two years. You clearly inherited your father's military prowess, yet you are also undeniably your mother's daughter. I feel like a fool for ever doubting you."

Caught off guard by this heartfelt confession, Leia faltered for a few moments before accepting Mothma's outstretched hand. "Thank you," she said as she shook Mothma's hand.

"Wish your mother luck for me," Mothma said. With that, the venerable senator released Leia's hand and slipped away back into the crows. Leia stood motionlessly behind the column for a long while, staring off blankly at where Mothma had been. She felt a lump form in her throat, but not because of Mothma's apology.

Leia had recovered remarkably over the past couple of years. With her family's help, Leia had made great strides towards addressing and ameliorating the horrible scars which Sidious had inflicted upon her during her childhood. Some wounds ran too deep, however. In many ways, Leia was just as scarred as she had always been.

_You clearly inherited your father's military prowess._

Even the briefest mention of her father was too much for Leia to handle, even two years after his death. Although he would never admit it to her, Luke figured it would be for the best if Leia forgot about her father entirely. While Luke was typically a sweet and compassionate man, he had never been able to forgive his father for what he had done to her and Padmé. He didn't understand why Leia missed him so much.

"_But he tortured you, Leia! How can you still love him after that?" _he would ask.

He couldn't forgive Vader like she had. He figured that Vader had forfeited any right to receive forgiveness after he had strangled Padmé and tortured Leia. Yet for Leia, things weren't so simple. Vader had been her best friend and most loyal companion for the majority of her life. On top of that, she saw so much of herself in him. She and her father were both deeply flawed and scarred people. While Luke refused to admit this, Leia knew better. She was more like Vader than she was to anyone else in the galaxy. The only difference between them was that she had Luke and Padmé by her side to guide her to the light, whereas Vader had been all alone. If she hadn't boarded Padmé's ship that day two years ago, she would have been doomed to replicate his horrific fate.

Feeling choked up, Leia shook herself out of her stupor and walked away from the frolicking crowd. She knew she was supposed to find Luke and Han after the inauguration, but she couldn't do that now. She needed to be alone. Not sure where she was going, Leia meandered down a marble hallway, elegant ivory arches dominating the walls on either side of her. The fading afternoon light poured in through the windows, illuminating her figure in an ethereal glow while also casting a dark shadow in front of her.

She couldn't bear to be in the light. It was too beautiful. Too pure. She needed to be alone. Taking a turn, Leia felt a strong pull. She stopped abruptly, a sense of foreboding creeping into her already distressed conscience. She was being beckoned forward, just like she had on Malachor. Yet this time, it felt different. Something else was calling to her. Something familiar.

Giving in to her curiosity, Leia allowed herself to be pulled down the hallway by the mysterious force. Walking down the hallway, Leia felt her heart rate elevate and her breathing quicken. Excitement began to course through her, although she couldn't explain why. Taking a turn, Leia found herself facing a large wooden door. Investigating it curiously, Leia reached out and grabbed the metal door handle and pulled the door open with a loud creak. Stepping inside, Leia was abruptly enveloped in complete darkness. Curious more so than she was afraid, Leia stepped forward into the room, her footsteps echoing loudly as if she were in a massive cave.

Coming to a stop after a brief venture, Leia had the distinct feeling that she was no longer in the Senate building anymore. In fact, she didn't feel as if she was anywhere at all. She simply was in a state of being, undisturbed by time or location. Drawing her lightsaber, Leia activated the blade, illuminating her surroundings in a faint blue hue.

"_Hello, my child." _

Shocked, Leia dropped her lightsaber, yet the blade didn't fall to the ground. Instead it remained levitated in front of her, humming innocently as it irradiated the shimmering figure in front of her.

"Father?" Leia asked in a whisper, her hands held over her mouth in disbelief. "Is that really you?"

Anakin Skywalker smiled broadly at her and stepped forward. Reaching out, he took Leia's suspended lightsaber out of the air. With a wave of his left hand, the blue blade was extinguished, casting them into darkness once more. With a whooshing sound, the faint blue hue returned, yet no longer as a single blade of light. Instead, the light diffused throughout the darkness and encircled them with wispy tendrils of twinkling kyber which revolved around them majestically.

"_And so there was light," _her father said, admiring his work with a grin.

Lost for words, Leia stared back at him with her mouth hanging open. Anakin's boyish grin transformed into a paternal, affectionate smile, his eyes glinting much like the kyber swirling about them.

"_I told you I would always be there for you," _he said softly, although his voice echoed loudly, the words reverberating about the mysterious chamber.

"How?" Leia finally managed to ask.

"_I have become one with the Force," _Anakin said. Looking up, he waved his hand a second time. The blue light radiated outward, dispersing into and transforming the darkness. As the amorphous strands of lights began to solidify into new shapes, Leia gasped and looked around with wonderment. No longer were they in a dark, featureless cave. Instead, they were standing in a stunningly beautiful valley, a placid lake shimmering to their left. Everything was tinged in a warm blue hue, including Anakin. She alone seemed to be made of solid material.

"How are you doing this?" she asked, looking back to meet his eyes.

"_I am no longer constrained by the limits of nature," _he told her. _"I have become the embodiment of the Force." _

Astounded beyond measure, Leia blinked rapidly a few times. "Where are we?" she asked finally, her eyes fixated on a cheerful waterfall in the distance. The water cascaded down elegantly, yet made no sound when it collided with the lake below.

"_Technically, nowhere," _Anakin said. _"This is all in your mind." _

"So it's not real?" Leia asked.

"_Just because it is in your head doesn't mean it isn't real," _Anakin said sagely. _"Indeed, I've brought you where you long to be even if you don't know it." _

"Where is that?"

"_Home." _

"I have no home," Leia said at once.

Anakin shook his head and looked around with a doleful smile. _"This is where you belong," _he said. _"This is where you deserved to be." _

Leia knew at once that her father was speaking the truth. She felt at ease in this luminescent valley. It felt right for her to be here, even if she couldn't explain why. "Where am I?" she asked again.

"_Naboo," _Anakin answered.

"Naboo," Leia repeated breathily.

"_Your mother wanted you and Luke to be born here," _Anakin reminisced. _"It's my fault that those plans never came to fruition." _

Feeling nostalgic for the home she never knew, Leia looked away from Anakin's pained face. After a long silence, she said "I've missed you, Father."

"_I know, my child," _Anakin said solemnly. _"But I have always been with you, just like I said." _

"How come you haven't spoken to me before?" Leia asked, feeling betrayed.

"_I wanted to," _Anakin said. _"Believe me, I wanted to. I so desperately wanted to comfort you when you were crying, like I used to do. I wanted to hug you and tell you that everything was going to be okay." _

"So why didn't you?" Leia asked, her face streaked with angry tears. "Why did you abandon me?"

"_You had to let me go," _Anakin said. _"I couldn't heal you, Leia. Only Luke and your mother could do that. I would have impeded your progress." _

"That's not true!" Leia retorted, her voice piercingly loud in the echo chamber. "You lied to me! You told me you would never leave me!"

"_Leia –"_

"You lied to me!"

With a shriek, the blissful Naboo scenery shattered. The coruscating blue mist was expunged abruptly and she was enveloped in darkness once more.

"_I didn't betray you, Leia," _Anakin's voice told her, his rumbling voice seemingly emanating from all around her. _"I had to let you go." _

"You lied to me," Leia said weakly. "You said you wouldn't leave me."

"_And I didn't," _her father said. _"I have been by your side for the past two years. Watching and waiting." _

"Waiting for what?" Leia asked.

"_For your convalescence to be complete." _

"Is that what you think?" she asked acrimoniously. "You think I'm healed now? You think I've been redeemed now that the war is over?"

"_Do you not?"_

"No," Leia said. "I feel more broken than ever!"

"_And yet you are not,"_ Anakin said, his voice caressing her comfortingly. _"You've come so far, my dear." _

"It doesn't feel like it," Leia said pathetically. "I've just learned to hide the pain. I'm scarred, Father, and there's nothing I can do to change that."

"_Your scars run too deep, Leia," _Anakin said. _"You cannot expect them to go away entirely." _

"They could!" Leia insisted. "If you hadn't left me, they would have!"

"_That's not true, Leia. I am not your savior. I was your tormentor." _

"No you weren't!"

"_Yes, I was," _Anakin said. _"I am responsible for all the horrors in your life." _

"That was Sidious' fault, not yours!"

"_It was my failure that enabled Sidious to torture you," _he said. _"If I hadn't turned to the dark side, none of this would have happened. You would have been able to grow up on Naboo with your family. It is entirely my fault that that fate was stolen from you." _

Leia swallowed hard and shook her head, refusing to admit that her father was right. It was so much easier to blame Sidious for all that was wrong with her.

"_We mustn't always do what is easiest," _Anakin said, responding to her thoughts as if she had said them aloud. _"That is the way of the dark side. The way of the weak." _

"I'm not weak," Leia said.

"_I know it," _he said. _"You are strong, Leia. You are the strongest person I have ever known. I aspire to be like you, my daughter. That is why I had to let you go. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. I watched you from afar every day for two years, refusing to allow myself to talk to you." _

"But why?" Leia asked, her throat constricted painfully.

"_I told you, Leia," _Anakin said. _"It wouldn't have been fair to either of us if I had insisted upon remaining in your life." _

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"_I didn't deserve you after what I did to you," _he said.

"I don't care what you think! I needed you!"

"_You don't need me, Leia. Not anymore." _

"That's not true."

"_It is true," _Anakin countered. _"You are not a girl anymore. You have become a competent and admirable woman. In these past two years I have seen you grow and flourish even if you didn't realize it." _

"I don't feel like I'm flourishing," Leia said. "I feel like I'm floundering."

Her father didn't answer her. Instead, she felt a gentle breeze on her back, causing her dress and long hair to blow forward. Pushing her hair out of her face, Leia saw the blue light return and begin to coalesce into an image in front of her. As the mist settled, Leia was surprised to see that it had formed into herself. Staring back at her blue-tinged reflection, Leia couldn't help but notice how happy her other self looked. She was looking at something on the horizon, her face alight with humor and bubbly enthusiasm.

"_I did it! Did you see that?" _

Leia spun around to see Luke, his countenance similarly elated. His right hand was extended outward, his fingers wrapped around the hilt of Obi-Wan's lightsaber. Leia knew at once what she was looking at. This had been the first time Luke had used the Force successfully.

"_I told you you could do it," _she heard herself say. Turning back around, Leia saw herself beaming at her brother proudly. Yet despite her joyous visage, Leia knew that internally she was experiencing a bout of forlorn reminiscence. She had remembered her father telling her the very same thing when she had first used the Force when she had been four years old. "_You just had to believe in yourself," _she added with a hint of wistfulness, completing the line which Anakin had said to her all those years ago.

The blue mist of which her doppelgänger was composed suddenly dissolved and began to reform into a new scene. As the mist settled, Leia recognized herself once again. She was standing in front of a mirror dressed in a long flowing dress. Her face was once again aglow with exuberance. The instantly recognizable laughter of her mother caused both Leia's to turn their heads toward the source of the mellifluous sound.

"_You look beautiful, Leia," _Padmé told her.

"_Then why are you laughing?" _Leia asked.

"_I just love seeing you so happy, that's all," _Padmé said.

Leia saw her own face drop for a fraction of a second before recovering. _"What can I say?" _she said, her barely perceptible moment of melancholy not creeping into her voice. _"I guess I love dresses just like my mother." _

Padmé beamed at her brightly, causing Leia's own smile to broaden. While the enthusiasm she was exuding was certainly genuine, Leia could tell that she her vivacity was tempered to an extent. While she certainly loved being with her mother, she remembered feeling strangely hollow inside. She wasn't happy like Padmé had thought. How could she ever truly be happy without her father?

"Why are you showing me this?" Leia asked as the scene faded away and reformed into Anakin's ghost once more.

"_To prove to you that you don't need me to be happy," _Anakin said.

"But I wasn't happy!" Leia exclaimed. "Not truly."

"_You were, but you didn't want to admit," _Anakin countered.

"That's not true!"

"_It is true," _Anakin said. "_You don't have to feel guilty about enjoying life without me, Leia._"

"But Father –"

"_It's okay, Leia,_" Anakin said, holding up his hand to interrupt her. "_It's okay to be happy. It's okay for you to experience life fully._"

"But I want you, Father," Leia moaned pathetically. "I want you back."

Anakin smiled at her and waved his hand, causing a strand of her hair to be pushed away from her forehead and behind her ear. "_No one's ever really gone, my dear,_" he told her. "_I will always be with you._"

"Father…" she said as his shimmering figure began to fade away. "Father!" she exclaimed with greater urgency. "Come back!"

"Leia!"

Someone was calling her name from far, far away.

"Leia!"

She was descending, dissolving. A warm sensation on her cheek grounded her amidst the sea of desperation and confusion.

The darkness ebbed away. Blinking a few times, Leia was able to make out her surroundings. The faint blue tinge was gone, implying that she had returned to the real world. Leaning into the warmth against her cheek, Leia saw that someone was kneeled down beside her, cradling her head.

"Luke?"

Looking up, she saw her brother's face looming over her. When they made eye contact, Luke exhaled loudly in relief.

"What happened? Is Leia alright?"

Luke looked up from her toward the voice. "She's okay," he said.

Luke let her go as she got upright into a seated position. She was seated on the ground in an unfamiliar room. Standing in the large doorway was Han. His arms were crossed in front of him and a deeply concerned expression was etched on his face.

Feeling embarrassed about being so vulnerable in front of Han, Leia pushed away from Luke and struggled to her feet without his assistance. "What happened?" Luke asked when she was standing.

"I don't know," Leia said as she rubbed her temples.

"Luke and I got worried when we couldn't find you after the ceremony," Han said from the doorway.

"I found you here on the floor," Luke said. Leia looked up at him when he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked.

Leia smiled sadly at Luke. Looking down, Leia reached out and took Luke's hands with each of her own. "No," she said honestly as she contemplated their intertwined hands. "But I will be." Sighing deeply, Leia closed her eyes and released Luke's hands. "In time, I will be," she said.

In that moment, she knew she had done it. She had done what she always aspired to achieve. She had made her father proud. Yet never had she imagined this would be how she would doit. Never would she have thought that in order to make him proud, she would have to let him go.

For the first time in her life, she was truly, unabashedly happy. She was healed.

THE END

* * *

_**Author's Note: **_Thank you all for reading until the end! Please do let me know what you think about the ending. If I'm being frank, I'm not totally satisfied with it. I may revisit this story sometime in the future because I think there is a lot of potential storylines I could still explore with this version of Leia. I did experience some burnout toward the end of writing this story and I was really excited about writing a different story, so that explains the somewhat abrupt ending here. If you enjoyed the ending and just want Leia to experience some well deserved happiness, then by all means you may ignore my self-deprecating musings.

As I mentioned in the author's note last chapter, I am publishing a new story today which I encourage you all to check out if you liked this story. It is titled _Chosen _and it is an AU story centered around a certain Jedi Knight by the name of Shmi Skywalker.


	17. Sequel Announcement

I'm really excited to announce that I am currently writing a sequel for this story entitled _Heir of Vitrius. _The sequel centers around Senator Ben Skywalker, the son of Leia Skywalker herself. Ben only knows his mother as the great war hero who led the Alliance back from the brink of ruin to defeat the Empire and he has never heard of his mother's previous name: Darth Vitrius. His already-strained perception of her will be indelibly altered, however, when he meets a mysterious young senator from Tatooine who comes bearing a long-lost relic from Leia's past...

I'll be posting the first chapter of _Heir of Vitrius _tomorrow morning, so look out for that if you enjoyed the original!


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